State Champ Radio Music
Page: 519
It’s only two days past the 2025 Oscars, so some may think it’s too soon to start thinking about the 2026 Oscars. But it’s not too early to consider that history could be made: Wicked: For Good, the upcoming sequel to Wicked, could become the most nominated film sequel in Oscar history.
If it repeats its 10 nominations from this year and picks up two more, it would set a new record. If it picks one more, it would tie the record, which is currently jointly held by The Godfather Part II, which received 11 nods in 1975, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the third installment in that franchise, which received 11 nods in 2004.
Even if Wicked: For Good merely matched Wicked’s tally of 10 nods, it would become one of the most nominated sequels in history. It would tie Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in that franchise, which received 10 nods in 2015.
Trending on Billboard
Wicked’s 10 nominations this year were best picture, best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande), best costume design, best film editing, best makeup and hairstyling, best production design, best original score, best sound and best visual effects.
There are three categories where Wicked: For Good could improve on its performance from this year. Jon M. Chu was passed over for a nod as best director for Wicked. A nomination for Wicked: For Good could serve to acknowledge his work on both films. Jonathan Bailey was passed over for a best supporting actor nod. And according to reports, there will be two new songs in Wicked: For Good, which would both be eligible for best original song consideration. None of the songs in Wicked were new, and thus, were not eligible.
One of the new songs will be for Elphaba, the character played by Erivo; the other will be for Glinda, the character played by Grande. Erivo will be a co-writer on her song, which could be her easiest path to her first Oscar — and EGOT status. Erivo has won a Tony, a Grammy, and a Daytime Emmy, all for The Color Purple and related projects, but has yet to win an Oscar, despite three nods so far.
If Erivo becomes an EGOT at the 2026 Oscars, she will become the youngest woman to EGOT. That title is currently held by Jennifer Hudson, who was 40 years and nine months old in 2022 when she achieved the feat. Erivo will be about 39 years and two months old at the time of the 2026 Oscars; the exact date of the show hasn’t been announced.
But Erivo would not become the youngest EGOT overall, which she would have become if she had won Sunday for best actress. That distinction has long been held by songwriter and librettist Robert Lopez, who was 39 years and one week old in 2014 when he achieved the feat. Songwriter and producer Benj Pasek was 39 years and two months old in 2024 when he joined the exclusive club.
Erivo was nominated for best original song in 2020 for co-writing “Stand Up” from Harriet. She was also nominated for best actress for that film.
Stephen Schwartz, of course, would also make history if a song from Wicked: For Good won an Oscar. Schwartz has won two Oscars for best original song — for “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas and “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt. A third win would make him one of just 10 songwriters in Oscar history to win three with three songs.
Femme House, the nonprofit focused on creating equity in the music industry by amplifying voices of women, femme, gender-expansive LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC creators, will host the first ever Femmy Awards during Miami Music Week 2025.
Happening at Palm Tree Club — the waterfront hotel opened by Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew this past December — the March 27 event will honor artists, agents, managers, engineers, allies event brands and other figures across the industry who’ve worked to make the dance scene a more inclusive and representative space.
The Femmys will honor a flurry of groundbreaking artists, including Detroit legend DJ Minx and Chicago dance music royalty DJ Lady D, who will both receive the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement. This award honors trailblazers who’ve broken barriers, reshaped the dance and electronic music industries and paved the way for femme, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ artists, leaving a lasting impact on music, culture and inclusivity.
Trending on Billboard
Barbara Tucker and Crystal Waters will be honored with the Voice of House award, which honors the vocalists who have soundtracked the dance music we know and love through generations. Meanwhile Sara Landry will be honored as Producer of the Year, an award that celebrates her singular contributions to electronic music.
Cross-category nominees will be announced in the coming weeks. Billboard is the official media sponsor of the Femmy Awards, which is taking place on March 27 from 1 to 3 p.m. Tickets and tables for the event are available now, with all proceeds from the event benefitting Femme House.
“The Femmy Awards were created to celebrate the artists, executives, and industry leaders who are actively shaping a more inclusive future for dance music,” Femme House Executive Director Emily Bass tells Billboard. “This year felt like the right time to launch because representation in electronic music is at a pivotal moment — there is progress, but there’s still work to do. Honoring legends like DJ Lady D and DJ Minx, who have spent decades breaking down barriers, alongside trailblazers like Sara Landry, who is redefining what it means to be a powerhouse producer today, reflects the impact that diverse voices have across generations. The Femmys are about more than recognition — they’re about cementing the legacy of those pushing this industry forward.”
“As an artist, I know firsthand how important it is to see yourself reflected in the industry — to have role models, mentors and a community that lifts you up,” adds Femme House co-founder LP Giobbi. “The Femmy Awards are our way of shining a light on those who are not only making incredible music but also creating opportunities for others to rise. DJ Lady D and DJ Minx have paved the way for so many of us, and Sara Landry is leading the charge for the next generation of producers. We hope The Femmys inspire more people to challenge the status quo and build a more equitable future in dance music.”
“The Femmy Awards aren’t just about celebrating talent, they’re about acknowledging the people who have fought to create space for underrepresented voices in dance music,” continues co-founder & Head of Culture, I know how powerful it is to see pioneers like DJ Lady D, DJ Minx, Barbara Tucker and Crystal Waters honored for their legacy, and to celebrate someone like Sara Landry, who is showing the next generation what’s possible. This moment is about more than awards — it’s about visibility, representation, and giving credit to those who are shifting the culture.”
Femme House will also host additional events during Miami Music Week, with the third annual Femme Friday happening March 28 at W South Beach. The daylong program will provide emerging artists with direct access to top industry professionals in an effort to foster education and community building.
The Big Ass Party will now begin before the official festivities kick off. Post Malone announced on Tuesday (March 4) that he will be hosting 10 free, open-to-the-public Travelin’ Tailgate parties at select dates on his upcoming summer Big Ass Stadium Tour. The events will offer fans with (or without) tickets an “unforgettable day of live music, great food, cold Bud Light, exclusive merch, carnival games, BIG ASS photo opportunities, and tattoos by Posty’s personal tattoo artists from Oxford Circle Tattoos,” according to a release announcing the stadium parking lot events.
In addition, one lucky fan will take home the ultimate door prize: a 2025 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Trending on Billboard
The first tailgate event will take place on May 3 before the singer/rapper’s show that night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, followed by similar stops at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX (May 9), as well as darties in Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Ridgedale, MO and Denver, with one last daylight blowout on June 21 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.
The daytime throw downs (noon-6 p.m.) will feature a DJ, as well as sets from local artists, turning the parking lots into a “full-scale party.”
The tailgates will not take place on all the dates of the upcoming stadium swing featuring support from Jelly Roll and Sierra Ferrell. The following shows will not feature tailgates: the April 29 kick-off at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, UT, as well as the May 7 gig at the Alamodome in San Antonio, the May 13 stop at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, a May 20 show at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the May 22 date at Wrigley Field in Chicago, a May 26 gig at Rogers Centre in Toronto, the May 28 show at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, PA, as well as a May 29 show at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
There will also be no tailgates at gigs at: Gillette Stadium (May 31, Foxborough, MA), Northwest Stadium (June 2, Washington, D.C.), CitiField (June 4, Queens, NY), Camping World Stadium (June 10, Orlando, FL), Albertsons Stadium (June 26, Boise, ID), T-Mobile Park (June 26, Seattle, WA), Providence Park (June 28, Portland, OR) and Oracle Park (July 1, San Francisco, CA).
See the dates and venues for the Travelin’ Tailgate parties below:
Fans still have to wait a few weeks to hear the songs on Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco‘s upcoming joint album, I Said I Love You First, but as of Tuesday (March 4), they at least get to know their titles.
The Only Murders in the Building star casually unveiled the tracklist to the 14-song project. Sharing a photo of her own hand holding up a piece of paper with the titles listed in a Polaroid frame, Gomez wrote, “Leaking some more details…”
“benny & I are so excited to reveal the official tracklist for our album,” she added.
Trending on Billboard
Arriving March 21, I Said I Love You First features previously released singles “Scared of Loving You” and “Call Me When You Break Up” featuring Gracie Abrams. And, as revealed by the Rare Beauty founder, the rest of the songs are called “I Said I Love You First,” “Younger and Hotter Than Me,” “Ojos Tristes,” “Don’t Wanna Cry,” “Sunset Blvd,” “Cowboy,” “Bluest Flame,” “How Does It Feel to Be Forgotten,” “Do You Wanna Be Perfect,” “You Said You Were Sorry”,” “I Can’t Get Enough” and “Don’t Take It Personally.”
The tracklist reveal comes just a few days after Gomez teased another one of the songs on the LP with a video on Instagram. Sitting in her car, she listened to a sultry dance track — which seemingly samples Cake’s 1998 Billboard Hot 100-charting hit “Never There” — and mouthed along to herself singing the lyrics, “I’ma call you daddy, ’cause I know you like that/ Go recharge your batteries, come back to me and make your momma proud.”
Gomez and Blanco got engaged in December, two months after which they announced I Said I Love You First on Valentine’s Day. In a recent interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, the “Lose You to Love Me” singer described the project as “a little taste of what we are and how we made this together, and how much we loved it and how much we love each other.”
She added, “It just felt like it was meant to be.”
See Gomez’s announcement below.
Before they were one of the world’s most high-profile couples, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce kept things on the down low. And according to Wes Bergmann — who just so happens to live right next door to the tight end in Kansas City — the two stars were dating much longer than anyone realized before they ever made their public debut.
In fact, the Traitors season three contestant tried to tell his friend about the pair’s romance, but she didn’t believe him. While serving as a guest on a recent episode of The Social Game hosted by Michele Fitzgerald and Kellie Nalbandian, Bergmann opened up about being neighbors with Kelce, whom he called “an enigma,” and added, “On one end, he’s like this big tough football player, on the other end, he’s probably going to have like 12 Taylor Swift songs written about him.”
Trending on Billboard
“On that note, I was, like, the first person to know about any of this stuff,” Bergmann continued, referring to the 14-time Grammy winner and football player’s romance. “I tried to tell [Fitzgerald] a long time ago. ‘They’re together, just so you know.’ She didn’t believe it.”
Swift and Kelce first went public with their romance in September 2023, when the “Karma” singer attended her first of many Kansas City Chiefs games. It was the first time most of the world had any idea the two stars were together, but it wasn’t Bergmann’s. “I beat the validating of her showing up to games and stuff by, like, six months,” the reality competition star boasted on the podcast.
The Eras Tour headliner previously shed light on the timeline of her relationship with Kelce in her December 2023 TIME Person of the Year interview. According to her, they “started hanging out right after” the Grotesquerie star confessed he had a crush on her on his New Heights podcast the prior July.
“By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple,” she added at the time. “I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”
A year and several months later, Tayvis is still going strong. Swift recently attended her second Super Bowl in a row to cheer on Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs. However, the 2024 champions lost this year to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watch Bergmann open up about watching Swift and Kelce’s romance unfold next door below.
For the next few weeks, all Little Monsters can hear on channel 15 is radio Gaga. SiriusXM announced on Tuesday (March 4) that it will launch a channel dedicated to all things Lady Gaga in the lead-up to the release of the singer’s upcoming seventh studio album, Mayhem.
For the first time, Gaga will have her own pop-up channel on the service, Gaga Radio, which will be available to subscribers in their cars on channel 15 through March 17 and on the SiriusXM app through April 2.
“Blending the eclectic energy that first captivated her fans with a bold, fearless artistic vision, MAYHEM explores themes of chaos and transformation, celebrating music’s power to unite, provoke, and heal,” read a statement from SiriusXM. The channel will feature music hand-picked by the Oscar- and Grammy-winning superstar, in addition to behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the new album, songs from the LP as well as classics from some of the acts that have inspired Gaga, from David Bowie, Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen to Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, Madonna, Elton John, Queen, Tony Bennett and many more.
Trending on Billboard
SiriusXM released a few excerpts of Gaga’s stories about the new album and her inspirations, including one in which she admitted to feeling “afraid” to make Mayhem, which drops on Friday (March 7). “Mayhem came to be ultimately because [fiancé] Michael [Polansky] said, ‘You need to make a pop record,’ and he was right. I did, but I did not realize how afraid I was to make this record,” she said.
“I think I thought I didn’t have it in me, or the kind of music I started making earlier in my career was something that I’ve left behind, but you know, even in picking so much of the musicians and the songs for my SiriusXM radio channel, I realized that all of that stuff is still in me and it will never not be because those artists have like grown roots in my body,” Gaga added. “That music made me who I am, and that was part of Mayhem was like the fear going into it of, ‘I don’t want to do this, but I’m gonna do it,’ and then going in and all of those artists, all of their music and all of the things that I am, are very much alive.”
“Lady Gaga is a true innovator and trailblazer whose versatility and influence has shaped pop music as we know it today and the music industry as a whole,” said SiriusXM president and chief content officer Scott Greenstein in the statement. “We are thrilled to give Gaga’s dedicated fanbase a closer look into the making of her long-awaited seventh album MAYHEM as well as the music and experiences that have defined her as an artist.”
Check out some other clips of Gaga’s behind-the-scenes commentary below.
LISA still doesn’t know how she made it into BLACKPINK after her audition — for which she sang an iconic Rihanna hit — didn’t go quite as planned.
In a video interview with Wall Street Journal Magazine published Tuesday (March 4), the K-pop star reflected on her fateful try-out for the quartet that would make her famous. “I sang Rihanna’s song,” she said, singing a little bit of 2008 Billboard Hot 100-topper “Take a Bow” to herself before remembering which track it was.
“I was so nervous, I sang like … the lyrics were all over the place,” LISA added, smiling. “It was not right.”
Trending on Billboard
As for how she managed to make it into the YG Entertainment group alongside bandmates ROSÉ, JISOO and JENNIE despite goofing her audition, the Thai rapper said that she’s still unsure how she landed the gig. “I don’t know,” she told the publication, laughing. “I think maybe I was so unique, or I did something wrong, so they were like, ‘Oh, I remember this girl! She sang wrong lyrics.’”
Don’t let her messing up the lyrics fool you, though. LISA is a diehard fan of the Fenty mogul, telling WSJ Mag that Ri is her biggest inspiration — specifically for “her swag, her style, her music, her stage performance.” And her favorite Ri performance? “Bitch Better Have My Money” at the 2015 iHeartRadio Awards, the star revealed. “She came out of the helicopter, like, so cool.”
LISA’s interview with the publication — for which she’s also this month’s cover star — comes just a few days after the Feb. 28 release of her debut solo album, Alter Ego. The project was led by singles “Rockstar,” “New Woman” featuring Rosalía, “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me)” and “Born Again” with Doja Cat and RAYE, with whom the White Lotus star recently performed a medley of James Bond songs at the 2025 Oscars.
Later this year, LISA will reunite with the rest of BLACKPINK for a global tour, the ladies’ first trek since the 2022-23 Born Pink World Tour supporting their Billboard 200 No. 1 album of the same name. In her WSJ Magazine cover story, the “Money” artist reflected further on the years of work all four of the groupmates put in as YG trainees before they ever assembled as a foursome, with LISA revealing that — after about three and a half years of training with no end in sight — she almost lost hope of ever debuting as an artist.
“When you don’t see the future, your future is black, it’s blank, you’re not able to visualize it,” she told the publication. “It’s like you’ve lost your energy a bit.”
Watch LISA talk about her BLACKPINK audition below:
Tate McRae has a massive week on Billboard’s charts (dated March 8) thanks to the arrival of her new album, So Close to What.
Released Feb. 21 on RCA Records, the set soars in as her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 177,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in its opening week (Feb. 21-27), according to Luminate.
McRae concurrently lands 11 songs from the album on the Billboard Hot 100, led by “Sports Car” and “Revolving Door” in the top 40. Here’s a recap (all of which are debuts except where noted):
Rank, Title:
Trending on Billboard
No. 16, “Sports Car” (up from No. 57; new high)
No. 22, “Revolving Door”
No. 43, “I Know Love,” feat. The Kid LAROI
No. 44, “Dear God”
No. 53, “Purple Lace Bra”
No. 54, “Miss Possessive”
No. 64, “BloodOnMyHands,” feat. Flo Milli
No. 74, “Signs”
No. 76, “2 Hands” (re-entry; peaked at No. 41 in November)
No. 90, “Like I Do”
No. 99, “Greenlight”
The lead single from the album, “It’s OK I’m OK,” hit No. 20 on the Hot 100 in September and has since wrapped its run on the chart.
With nine debuts, McRae has now charted 21 total songs on the Hot 100 in her career. Of those, seven have reached the top 40 and one hit the top 10: “Greedy” climbed to No. 3 in January 2024.
McRae also places five songs from So Close to What on Billboard’s recently launched Hot Dance/Pop Songs chart. “Revolving Door” debuts at No. 1, becoming her second leader after “It’s OK I’m OK” became the list’s inaugural No. 1 in January. She additionally charts with “Miss Possessive” (No. 3), “It’s OK I’m OK” (No. 4), “BloodOnMyHands” (No. 5) and “No I’m Not in Love” (No. 7).
McRae also vaults from No. 38 to No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100, becoming the top musical act in the U.S. for the first time. She joins Taylor Swift and SZA as the only women to lead the Artist 100 in 2025. In January 2021, McRae spent four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, thanks to the success of her breakthrough single, “You Broke Me First,” which reached No. 17 on the Hot 100.
The Artist 100 measures artists’ activity across key metrics of music consumption: album sales, track sales, radio airplay and streaming. Using a methodology comprising those metrics, the chart provides a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity. The Hot Dance Pop/Songs chart ranks the most popular current dance/pop titles, separate from Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which focuses on producers and DJs.
“It was an uncomfortable song to play my mom,” Leon Thomas admits of “Mutt,” a flirtatious track that mentions the urge to “pop a shroom to re-create the feeling.” “Mutt” marked the Grammy-winning songwriter’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry as a recording artist, following years of behind-the-scenes work that includes hits for Ariana Grande, SZA and more. And his mother loved it, too. “She told me this is going to be one of my biggest records. She spoke into existence.”
For Thomas, 31 — the Brooklyn-bred son of Black Rock Coalition parents, and the grandson of the late opera singer John Anthony — music and family have always been intertwined. His parents, who frequented CBGB, laid the musical foundation for the rock-infused soul he explores on Mutt, his sophomore album released last September.
Trending on Billboard
Since then, he supported Blxst on tour and embarked on his own headlining trek — but February in particular solidified Thomas’ turn from songwriting savant to front-facing R&B star. “Mutt” entered the Hot 100 on the Feb. 8 chart (and reaches a new No. 67 peak on the March 8-dated list); he made his live-TV debut with the song on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert the same week; and then performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk later that month, where he dedicated 2022 single “Breaking Point” to his recently deceased grandfather (Thomas attended his funeral directly after the taping). “He was the anchor to my journey,” says Thomas. “I can tell he was with me musically.”
Leon Thomas
Raymond Alva
While his past month looks like a whirlwind of success, Thomas’ breakthrough has been nearly two decades in the making. At 13, with Broadway runs in The Lion King, The Color Purple and Caroline, Or Change under his belt, Thomas signed his first deal with Columbia Records. “I was walking into the boardroom playing Stevie Wonder covers and in-depth love songs,” he reflects with a laugh. “They were like, ‘What we gon’ do with this? Did you even hit puberty?’” Around that time, he made his theatrical debut in the 2007 film August Rush, which led to a Nickelodeon development deal that landed him roles on shows from The Backyardigans to Victorious.
As the deal was nearing its end and Victorious approached its 2013 series finale, Thomas explored his options, and received advice from Republic Records’ Wendy Goldstein, who was the label’s senior vp of A&R at the time. “Journeying through your twenties is you becoming everything that you need from everybody else,” she told him. “Those words stuck with me on some Spider-Man s–t,” he says today.
He spent the better part of the next decade learning the independent scene, studying under Babyface and Boi-1da (and by extension, Drake’s camp), and was briefly signed to Alex da Kid’s KIDinaKORNER. He met manager Jonathan Azu in 2019 and became the first act on his Culture Collective roster. Two years later, he landed a record deal with Ty Dolla $ign and Motown Records’ joint venture, EZMNY, after running into A&R Shawn Barron on a grocery run.
“I was kind of scared because signing under an artist can be either heaven or hell,” says Thomas. “Luckily, I’m stomping around in heaven right now.”
During his time at Motown, Thomas has experienced several different leadership regimes following restructurings by parent company Universal Music Group. Now under Capitol Music Group chairman/CEO Tom March — who Thomas says “gets my vision and is down to support real music” — he was able to execute his ideal album rollout for Mutt.
The campaign kicked off last August — a year after his debut full-length, Electric Dusk — with the release of the album’s title track. A funky R&B midtempo tune that nods to Enchantment’s “Silly Love Song” by way of a Bootsy Collins-esque bassline, “Mutt” was the product of Thomas’ desire to “have a record that shows what I’m about: live music, funk and vulnerability.” Written in 2022, Thomas crafted “Mutt” on his living room floor while microdosing psychedelics and watching his dog and cat fight. “I saw the similarities between us and how we have good intentions but don’t always do the right thing,” he told Billboard last year.
The single’s steady chart climb is largely due to Thomas and Azu’s “all ships rise” business approach. Instead of exhausting resources on one song, they banked on word-of-mouth from his live performances to help people discover “Mutt” along with the rest of the album.
“We [noticed] the crowd’s reaction when ‘Mutt’ would play: the phones were always up, but they would really come out for ‘Mutt,’” says Azu. The song continued naturally gaining traction in R&B circles with those familiar with Thomas’ songwriting and production work. “Everybody knows how dangerous he is in the studio with other people’s work,” Azu adds.
Jonathan Azu (left) and Leon Thomas at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Courtesy of Culture Collective
Thomas launched a 13-date headlining tour in October at intimate venues across the U.S., and the trek doubled as a way to promote himself at radio. “A lot of program directors are just outside the Victorious demographic, but the people in the studios and offices are within that demographic, and so are [their] children,” says Azu. “Doing [that] work is so important for the foundation to go for adds.”
As “Mutt” climbs at three different Billboard airplay rankings (R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and Adult R&B Airplay, where it hits a No. 7 best on the March 8 chart), Thomas is playing the long game. “I loved seeing how Lizzo kept promoting her hits and didn’t stop believing in them,” he says. A deluxe edition of Mutt is also in the works, and Thomas mentions potential collaborations with Kehlani, Big Sean and Halle Bailey in the hopper, in addition to a previously teased team-up with Stormzy. Plus, there’s a song on which Thomas plays every instrument.
“There [are] sides to me that I haven’t shown the world yet, so I’m spoon-feeding them,” Thomas says. “You need to hide the medicine in the candy. This deluxe is me stepping deeper into my purpose.”
A version of this story appears in the March 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.
The only thing scarier than performing a song by one of the coaches on The Voice to their faces is showing up for your Blind Audition round with an acoustic guitar and a tricky Taylor Swift song in your quiver. That didn’t stop 24-year-old Atlanta native Tori Templet from taking a runner on Swift’s 2019 ballad “Lover” on Monday night’s (March 3) show, where she earned quick chair-turns from Adam Levine and Michael Bublé and high praise from fellow judges Kelsea Ballerini and John Legend.
“I really like her tone,” Bublé said of Templet’s airy vocals as Ballerini swayed her head and Legend exhaled “whoo!” during the performance. It took less than a minute for Levine to punch his button, shortly followed by Bublé, who said “I gotta see her,” thumping his hands in rhythm as Ballerini responded “cool” to the singer’s final “my, my, my… lover” run.
Avowed Swiftie Ballerini gave Templet major props for making one of Taylor’s songs her own. “I feel like is one of the hardest feats,” she said. “And you have such a unique voice. I listened to that song differently and your voice made me do that. I will be your fan on this show.” Bublé praised Tori’s “beautiful… breathy…. sweet” voice, describing it as full of “dulcet, gorgeous tones. I just dig you,” the Great American Songbook interpreter said, adding that, selfishly, he’d like to hear he sing some jazz tunes by Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan.
Trending on Billboard
Legend also praised Templet’s unique tone, noticing that it almost has a whistle-like undertone to the full top note, getting super nerdy about the technical nature of her singing. “I was mesmerized by it. I thought it was super cool,” Legend said.
Levine went last, professing to be “blown away” by what he heard without seeing Templet, and then being even more intrigued when he saw her playing guitar as well. “I was like, ‘oh, great. Amazing, awesome. I play guitar too, it’s gonna be great.” Levine said. “The purity and simplicity in what you do is something that I think is really lacking.” He compared he voice to that of late Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan, Sunday’s vocalist Harriet Wheeler and Mazzy Star’s Hope Sandoval.
Excited that the Gen Z’er got his old school 1980s/90s references, Levine enthused, “that’s a lane that we get to have that gets to be ours.” It wasn’t all Christmas lights in January and giggling at dirty jokes, though, as Levine also pointed at a bum hight note that he said can easily be fixed, assuming she picked him.
Spoiler alert, after one more desperate plea from Bublé, Tori went with Team Adam.
Watch Templet’s performance below.
