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Johnny Neel, songwriter and former member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band, has died. He was 70 years old. His former bandmate Warren Haynes confirmed the news of Neel’s death in a heartfelt social media post. No cause of death has been given. “Aside from being an amazing musician and singer, Johnny was one […]
Scarface recently underwent open-heart surgery, and is assuring fans that he was doing fine just in time for the 2025 Grandmaster Awards in Las Vegas, where he and other legends such as Grandmaster Caz, Kool Moe Dee and Roxanne Shanté were honored. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Country group Alabama frontman Randy Owen will be celebrated as a BMI Icon during the upcoming 72nd annual BMI Country Awards slated for Nov. 19 in Nashville.
The accolade recognizes Owen’s prolific songwriting and significant contributions to country music. The invitation-only BMI Country Awards will be held at the BMI Nashville office and hosted by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI’s Nashville VP of creative Clay Bradley.
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“Randy Owen’s impact on country music is immeasurable, and his songwriting has left an undeniable mark on the genre,” Bradley said in a statement. “His talents have solidified Alabama as one of the most successful country bands of all time, and his memorable melodies and relatable lyrics continue to influence countless artists that follow in his footsteps. We are honored to present him with this year’s BMI Icon Award.”
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The BMI icon award has previously been bestowed on artist-writers including Matraca Berg, Toby Keith, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Dillon and Hank Williams Jr., in addition to multi-genre artist-writers including Stevie Nicks, Little Richard, Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Brian Wilson, James Brown, Janet Jackson, Bo Diddley, Holland-Dozier-Holland, Peter Gabriel, Al Green, Van Morrison, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Carlos Santana and Los Lobos.
Additionally, the BMI Country Awards will reveal BMI’s annual country songwriter of the year, country song of the year and country publisher of the year, and will honor the songwriters and music publishers behind the 50 most-performed songs in country music over the past year.
Since first affiliating with BMI in 1974, Owen has earned over 25 BMI Million-Air Awards, earned the 2000 BMI President’s Award and was feted with the BMI country song of the year honor in 1989 for “Fallin’ Again.” Starting with the group’s 1980 hit “Tennessee River,” Alabama has earned 33 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. Owen is a co-writer on at least half of the group’s chart-toppers, including “Tennessee River,” as well as 1981’s “Feels So Right,” 1982’s “Mountain Music” and “Close Enough to Perfect,” and 1989’s “Song of the South.”
In addition to being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Alabama has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. They were also named the Country Music Association’s entertainer of the year for three consecutive years.
Odetari first broke through on Billboard’s charts in 2023, and now he’s officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist.
The Houston producer scores his first entry on the Hot 100 (dated Oct. 12) with “Keep Up.” The song debuts at No. 96 almost entirely from its streaming sum: 5.7 million official U.S. streams in the Sept. 27-Oct. 3 tracking week, according to Luminate.
TikTok has been a huge factor in the song’s growing profile, largely due to a viral dance trend. A portion of its audio has been used in nearly 1 million clips on the platform to date. That activity pushed the song 14-4 on the Oct. 5-dated TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.
“Keep Up” also rises two spots to No. 6 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. It’s Odetari’s 16th career entry on the chart, and sixth top 10. His first hit, “Narcissistic Personality Disorder,” reached No. 10 in May 2023, followed by “Good Loyal Thots” (No. 8); “Look Don’t Touch,” with Cade Clair (No. 9); “GMFU,” with 6arelyhuman (No. 5); and “I Love You Hoe,” with 9lives (No. 3).
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Odetari’s music style is fast-paced and hectic EDM, a genre that he calls “ODECORE.” Earlier this year, Billboard reported that Odetari has a unique approach to releasing his songs. While the original versions of his songs are posted on his primary Odetari Spotify profile, various other versions and remixes of his songs are released under a separate Spotify profile called ODECORE. “[He] frequently has two to three different versions of records coming out a month,” explained Corey Calder, svp of marketing and creative services at Artist Partner Group, Odetari’s label. “If we were to have that all sit on his page, it would feel cluttered and make it hard for his fanbase to follow and track it all.”
It’s a growing trend that has also been adopted by Odetari’s collaborator and labelmate 6arelyhuman, who releases music under his own name, plus remixes under the name Sassy Scene.
Before Odetari’s music career took flight last year, Billboard reported that in February he was substitute-teaching at a high school in his native Houston. He said that he would even upload his music during school hours. “The students were, like, hitting their dab pens in class, secretly under their sleeves,” he said. “The teachers walked in and smelled it and were like, ‘You should have been supervising the class better.’”
By the end of 2023, Odetari wrapped at No. 7 on Billboard’s Top Dance/Electronic Artists annual recap. He also landed six songs on the year-end Hot Dance/Electronic Songs ranking, including “Good Loyal Thots” and “Look Don’t Touch” at Nos. 16 and 19, respectively.
When Olivia Rodrigo floated over the heads of more than 50,000 concertgoers on a crescent-moon lift, suspended from the rafters at Philippine Arena, she couldn’t help but get a little bit choked up.
“Someday I’ll be everything to somebody else,” she sang, her voice wavering as she pushed through the final lines of Sour‘s “Enough for You.”
For the fans in the crowd witnessing her deeply meaningful first-ever performance in the Philippines, the 21-year-old pop star — who is half Filipina — was certainly more than enough. In addition to making the Oct. 5 concert a Silver Star Show, allowing everyone in attendance to purchase seats for less than $30 in U.S. currency, Rodrigo also donated all the net ticket proceeds to Jhpiego, a charity with global reach providing life-saving care to combat cervical cancer, malaria, HIV, complications from pregnancy and childbirth, and more conditions. Plus, the three-time Grammy winner visited the organization’s office in Manila to discuss women’s health and reproductive rights, both of which Rodrigo has championed throughout 2024 with her own Fund 4 Good.
The entire thing was thanks in large part to a crucial partnership between Rodrigo and American Express, which has been working with the “Vampire” musician throughout her eight-month Guts World Tour. Before the run kicked off in February, the bank holding company facilitated the run’s Early Access ticket sale online and, ahead of the Sept. 8 release of Rodrigo’s Billboard 200-topping sophomore LP Guts, sponsored an album-themed pop-up for fans to explore in New York City.
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“We’ve had an incredible year working with Olivia to provide special access and moments to our Card Members,” reflects American Express’ Shiz Suzuki, vp of global brand sponsorships and experiential marketing, in a statement to Billboard. “Now we get to back her as she visits the Philippines for the first time where she has deep family roots, performs for her community and films content of her experience as a Filipina American in Manila to share with her fans worldwide.”
With only a handful of Guts dates left on her schedule and the Philippines concert in the books, Rodrigo has learned a lot since embarking on her first-ever arena tour this year. Below, the star opens up about her time abroad, life on the road, new music and more in a brief conversation with Billboard via email:
This is your first-ever concert in the Philippines. How is that milestone particularly special to you as a Filipino-American musician?
I’m so excited to be teaming up with American Express to bring the GUTS World Tour to Manila. This is such a special milestone for me to not only be visiting the Philippines for the first time but performing here for my fans. As part of this tour, I’ve had the chance to visit so many cool places I’ve never been before and play songs that I’ve been living with for so long, and the energy from the fans has been magical. I’m so proud of my Filipino heritage, so being able to bring this experience to the Philippines means the world to me.
In addition to making your Philippines stop a Silver Star show, you previously implemented Silver Star sales in North America. Why is it important to you to give fans a chance to see you for affordable prices?
It brings me so much joy to perform in front of my fans. We sing, we scream and we dance. I wanted to make this a Silver Star show in honor of my first time visiting the Philippines. All the net ticket sales from the show will go to my Fund 4 Good to help support Jhpiego and the incredible work they’re doing for reproductive healthcare in the Philippines. It’s been a dream to partner with American Express to help make this show possible.
Have you been writing songs while on the road? I know you haven’t even finished the tour yet, but can you give any hints about what your next album/new music will be like?
Writing songs is really therapeutic for me, so I’m always noodling around making stuff even when I’m not in the studio making an album. I’m definitely going to take a little vacation after this tour though! I’m trying not to put too much pressure on anything right now.
I saw you perform at Madison Square Garden in April and was so impressed. I also couldn’t stop thinking about how overwhelming it must be at 21 to have all those people – fellow performers, crew, venue workers, fans – be there just for you. What’s it like to lead such a massive enterprise, and what have you done to stay sane throughout the Guts Tour?
It’s overwhelming — in the best way — to work with such a large, incredible crew and put shows on every night in front of big audiences. Everyone’s energy is really inspiring and makes me want to bring my all every night. That being said, sometimes it can get very overstimulating. I’ve learned so much about how to take care of myself by being on the road. You have to prioritize rest and sleep and alone time, otherwise you start to go a little crazy.
What have you learned on the Guts Tour that you want to apply to your next tour down the line? Is there anything you’ll do differently?
The Guts World Tour was my first-ever arena tour and I learned so much, not only about performing and taking care of myself, but about being a part of a team. It was so much fun to have a little traveling tour family for so many months and I’m going to miss everyone dearly. The only thing I can think to do differently next time is to not overpack. My luggage is bursting at the seams!
All Grammys count the same toward someone’s career Grammy total, but we all know they’re not really on an equal footing. Every media outlet on Earth will report the winners of album of the year and record of the year next Feb. 2, but good luck trying to find out who won best regional roots music album (we’ll have it, of course).
Some categories are far more competitive than others. There are 20 times as many entries in this year’s most populated category, song of the year (978), as in this year’s least populated categories, best traditional blues album and best gospel album, both of which have just 53 entries.
Since final-round voting for the 67th Grammy Awards opened Friday (Oct. 4), Grammy voters have been conscientiously poring over the entry lists for 89 of the 94 Grammy categories (or so Recording Academy leaders fervently hope). The nominees in the other five categories are determined by committees.
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The number of entries in five of the six categories in the General Field increased compared to last year. There are 780 entries for record of the year (up from 615 last year); 707 for album of the year (up from 476); 978 for song of the year (up from 642); 61 for songwriter of the year, non-classical (up from 58); and 200 for producer of the year, non-classical (up from 195).
The only General Field category that saw a drop in entries compared to last year is best new artist. There were 323 entries this year, down from 405 last year. That’s the smallest number of entries in this category in five years.
Note that the number of entries for songwriter of the year, non-classical, which is in its third year, is only about one-third of the number of entries for producer of the year, non-classical, which was introduced in 1974. That’s probably because of the newer category’s restrictive rules, which were intended to put the focus on songwriters who are not also artists or producers.
My main takeaway from this annual exercise – these categories are highly competitive. As noted, there are 978 songs vying for just eight slots in song of the year. When somebody says “It’s an honor just to be nominated,” they’re not just being polite. Okay, maybe they are, but it really is an honor. 970 eligible and entered songs this year will not be nominated for song of the year.
If you’re curious, the five categories where the nominations are determined by committees, rather than by voters at large, are best recording package, best boxed/special/limited edition package, best album notes, best historical album, best remixed recording and best immersive audio album. (The nominations in a sixth category, best remixed recording, were decided by committee last year, but this year the voters will make the determination.)
First-round voting for the 67th annual Grammy Awards opened on Friday (Oct. 4). Voters have until Oct. 15 to make their choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Here are the 16 categories with most entries this year, and the 16 categories with the fewest. (Ties prompted us to bump up from 15 to 16 in both cases.)
Categories with the most entries
(in descending order)
Song of the year, 978
Record of the year, 780
Album of the Year, 707
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 new artist, 323
Best pop solo performance, 314
Best American roots performance, 310
Best Americana performance, 290
Best arrangement, instrumental or acapella, 290
Categories with the fewest entries
(in descending order)
Best contemporary blues album, 73
Best Latin jazz album, 73
Best music film, 72
Best R&B album, 70
Best choral performance, 67
Best classical solo vocal album, 64
Best large jazz ensemble album, 63
Songwriter of the year, non-classical, 61
Best bluegrass album, 61
Best regional roots music album, 61
Best roots gospel album, 60
Best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media, 59
Best musical theater album, 59
Best compilation soundtrack for visual media, 58
Best traditional blues album, 53
Best gospel album, 53
When Michael Stipe and Jason Isbell played a Get Out the Vote concert Oct. 4 in Pittsburgh in support of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s presidential campaign, they took time out to visit with Harris’ husband and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.
Emhoff introduced the concert at Pittsburgh’s Schenley Plaza, which took place in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Backstage, in exclusive footage provided to Billboard by the Harris campaign, the two artists talked to Emhoff, a former entertainment attorney, about politics and their support of Harris.
Stipe discussed the responsibility voters have to put in the work and to vote for the candidate that most closely aligns with their ideas, even if they don’t completely match. “There’s the comparison that has been made that voting for a politician is like taking a bus,” he said. “You get on the bus that takes you closest to where you want to go. When you get off that bus, that’s when you have to start working. You have to do the walking.”
Stipe, a lifelong activist, added, “We’re a big country with a lot of weight and a lot of power. And we need it to go right and your wife can guide it in the right direction. There’s a lot to work on, there’s a lot to do, but I have a lot of faith in her.” Stipe also praised Harris for her commitment to fighting injustice.
Isbell added that growing up in Alabama, he was around people who would say, “‘No politicians actually care about working people or about regular everyday Americans’, but as I have become more involved in politics myself, I have found that that’s just not true,” adding that he found Harris a “fantastic leader, brave and strong and hyper-intelligent and I think she truly cares about American people.”
He also lauded the “integrity that Kamala has that makes me feel safer as a creative person and as a citizen in general. I feel like somebody is at the top of the pyramid that is not attempting to confuse. Somebody is trying to tell me the truth and her opponent is trying to confuse us all.”
Emhoff was treated to a private performance of Stipe and Isbell practicing the latter’s “Traveling Alone,” which they also performed on stage together. They also played a pair of R.E.M. classics, “Driver 8” and “The One That I Love.” As the video shows, Emhoff also geeked out over receiving a lyric sheet signed by the pair.
Stipe and Isbell have been vocal in their support for the VP this year, with Isbell performing at the Democratic National Convention in August, as did Stevie Wonder, John Legend, The Chicks, Mickey Guyton and P!nk. Numerous musicians — including Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Cardi B — have all endorsed Harris for president in 2024.
Election day is Nov. 5.
With her eyes set on Friday (Oct. 11) for the release of her debut album, Glorious, GloRilla stopped by Billboard News to gush about her blistering 2024 run, which includes three top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot R&B / Hip-Hop Songs chart with “Yeah Glo!,” “TGIF” and “Wanna Be” featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
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Reflecting on her path to making Glorious, GloRilla shares, “Last year, I was supposed to drop my debut album, but I was still just getting used to stuff and working a lot. When the top of the year came, I had the project basically done. I was like, ‘OK, I gotta give them the mixtape before I give them the album,’ because I went the whole year without dropping anything. That’s why I said I was gonna give them the mixtape first, get em’ back used to me first, give ’em a feel of me, and then that’s gonna prep me for the album. The mixtape did good and did what it was supposed to do, which prepped me for my album.”
Released earlier this year, Glo’s mixtape Ehhthang, Ehhthang caused tremors in the rap world as she rebounded from a quiet 2023 with two scorchers in “Yeah Glo!” and “Wanna Be.” Both records soared on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming top 20 songs, with the latter peaking at No. 11 courtesy of her seamless chemistry with tour bestie, Megan Thee Stallion.
“I don’t really have a lot of industry friends,” says Glo. “I got associates and they’re cool, but me and Meg really got cool. I didn’t expect it. She FaceTimed me when I was getting on the plane, just talking crazy and funny. We really gained a bond.”
This spring, GloRilla opened up for Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour, and after the release of Ehhthang, Ehhthang, kept her torrid run on the Hot 100 intact when she doled out her third hit of the year with “TGIF.” Glo’s signature bravado, husky raps and cogent hooks have become a staple for the Memphis star, who earned a shiny cosign this year from Rihanna, after she rapped “TGIF” on social media over the summer. Glo’s winning streak continued when she caught up with Beyonce while out with Megan Thee Stallion, earning more praise for her noteworthy wins.
“Riri [was] asking for the album and dancing to the song,” recalls Glo. “She don’t be dancing to people’s song. When she did that, I was like, ‘Wow,’ ’cause you know, people be saying that’s my twin. They be hatin’ on me. I love Rihanna. I’m a big fan of Rihanna. I love Beyoncé. I’m the biggest fan of Beyoncé. This was my third time meeting her and she’s always so sweet every time. I love her.”
Watch GloRilla’s full interview with Deputy Director of R&B / Hip-Hop Carl Lamarre above. During her chat, she shares her love for Rod Wave, clears up dating rumors between her and NBA star Damian Lillard and reveals which feature on Glorious she’s most excited about.
With Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 fast approaching, preparations are in full swing for the event, scheduled for October 14-18 at the Fillmore Miami Beach. This exciting week will culminate with the broadcast of the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Sunday, October 20, on Telemundo.
Originally known as the Billboard Latin Music Conference, this prestigious event — now in its 35th year — is universally recognized as the biggest, most important event in Latin music. It introduced the “Star Q&A” sessions in 2000 with featuring Spanish hitmaker Enrique Iglesias. This year’s lineup promises to be exhilarating, with four “Superstar Q&A” sessions highlighted by Billboard‘s September cover stars J Balvin and Young Miko, who will each hold individual panels. Icon interviews will feature legends like Gloria Estefan, Pepe Aguilar and Alejandro Sanz, while JOP of Fuerza Regida will take the spotlight in the Sony Publishing Icon panel.
“We’re thrilled to celebrate 35 years of Latin Music Week by offering something for everyone — whether seeing intimate conversations with superstars, enriching networking events, or can’t miss En Vivo shows,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s chief content officer for Latin/Español. “We are immensely proud to be the only media company that has covered and celebrated Latin music for five decades now. This amazing event is the result of many years of building, and the future is bright.”
To check out this year’s full schedule, click here.
Over the years, a host of luminaries from the Latin music world, such as Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni Rivera, Juanes, Paulina Rubio, Bad Bunny, Grupo Firme, Juan Luis Guerra, Ivy Queen, and Laura Pausini, have graced Billboard Latin Music Week. The previous year saw the likes of Shakira, Thalia, Fonseca, and Manuel Turizo enriching the discussions.
In celebration of the 2024 edition, Billboard has curated a comprehensive timeline of all the Star Q&A sessions held since Iglesias first graced the stage at the turn of the millennium.
The event will mark a historic milestone where the past and future of Latin music converge. For ticket purchases and more info, visit billboardlatinmusicweek.com.
2000
It’s twice as nice for Chappell Roan as she charts her first two entries on Billboard’s Pop Airplay ranking in the top 10 simultaneously. “Good Luck, Babe!,” which became her first No. 1, leading the Sept. 21-dated list, places at No. 5 on the Oct. 12-dated chart, while “Hot to Go!” jumps three spots to No. 9.
Both songs were released on KRA/Amusement/Island Records and are being promoted to radio by Republic. The Pop Airplay chart ranks songs by weekly plays on over 150 mainstream top 40 radio stations monitored by Mediabase, with data provided to Billboard by Luminate.
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Roan becomes the first artist to lodge two initial Pop Airplay chart entries in the top 10 at the same time since Iggy Azalea just more than a decade ago. For 11 weeks in June-August 2014, the rapper’s breakthrough singles, both of which hit No. 1, ranked in the top 10 together: “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, and Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” featuring Azalea.
No artist until Roan had charted two maiden Pop Airplay hits in lead roles on both songs in the top 10 together since Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. For two weeks in May 2013, their “Thrift Shop,” featuring Wanz, and “Can’t Hold Us,” featuring Ray Dalton, spared space in the tier.
The last artist before Roan to boast two first Pop Airplay hits without any other billed acts in the top 10 simultaneously? Avril Lavigne, 22 years ago, for five weeks in September-October 2002 with “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi.”
The only other acts to chart two initial Pop Airplay hits without any guests in the top 10 simultaneously did so in the mid-1990s (following the survey’s 1992 start): Hootie & The Blowfish, Real McCoy and Ace of Base.
To date, Alpha Media-owned KBFF Portland, Ore., leads all Pop Airplay reporters with more than 2,000 plays of “Good Luck, Babe!” Bonneville International’s KMVQ San Francisco ranks first with nearly 1,000 spins for “Hot to Go!”