Music
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In this week’s crop of new music, Eric Church issues his first solo release in over three years, in order to benefit his homestate of North Carolina, which has seen devastation following Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Jamey Johnson previews his upcoming first solo studio album release in 14 years with a stately, insightful ballad. Ella Langley, Conner Smith and more also offer new songs.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the best country songs of the week below.
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Eric Church, “Darkest Hour”
Church has been in the studio working on new music, and chose to release his first solo song in over three years, in order to help those in his homestate of North Carolina, which found many areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
On this Church-written, Jay Joyce-produced song, he employs a soulful and serrated falsetto voice, which mingles resplendently with horns and a backing choir, all meshing for a creation that feels more akin to the orchestral constructions of 1970s rock than modern-day country. Meanwhile, at the fore is a message of an artist intent on bringing comfort and compassion to those who are weary, both physically and mentally. Overall, this marks one of Church’s most striking recordings, and a further boon to his already powerful catalog of songs.
Ella Langley, “Weren’t for the Wind”
Langley has been riding high lately on the Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” and her debut album Hungover. She follows with what seems poised to be a surefire, solid followup single — a vision of wanderlust, musing how different her life might look if she wasn’t pulled toward the excitement of new horizons. Her deep Southern drawl is at once sultry, sage and nonchalant, gliding over a breezy, steady rhythm that mirrors the song’s want for unencumbered freedom. “Weren’t for the Wind” will be included the deluxe version of her debut album hungover, which will be released Nov. 1.
Kat Luna, “That Girl”
Luna, formerly of duo Kat and Alex, now launches her solo career on Sony Music Nashville with this power ballad that centers on establishing oneself apart from a previously fizzled relationship. Luna has always had a formidable, octave-leaping, pop-fused vocal, the kind that feels tailor-made for rangy, emotion-fueled ballads like this. She also pays homage to her Latin heritage by releasing two versions of the song — one in English (written by Luna, Rhett Akins and KK Johnson) and one with a blend of English and Spanish (with additional co-writing Erika Ender).
Jamey Johnson, “Someday When I’m Old”
Johnson, long known as one of country music’s most masterful songwriters, is set to release his first album in 14 years, when Midnight Gasoline releases on Nov. 8 on his new label home Warner Music Nashville (the album will be released through WMN and Johnson’s own Big Gassed Records). Among the songs previewing the album is this meditation about growing wiser with the passing years. “No matter how much time you get/ You always want more,” he sings, a musical aphorist filling this track with keen observational moments. Above the sparse guitar and percussion, his voice is in fine form, conversational and commanding as ever.
Conner Smith, “Faith From a Farmer”
Known for songs including “Learn From It” and “I Hate Alabama,” Smith delves deeper into his songwriting talents on this solo-written song, which is included on his new project The Storyteller.
His warm, conversational vocal style is heightened by a blend of guitars, fiddles and piano, as his writing contains an ingenuousness in putting forth this observation of gleaning faith-leaning insights from the steady work and spiritual devotion of a farmer “who wants to hand a good life down to his son or daughter.” With every release, Conner continue to impress as one of a new generation of country artists as devoted to songcraft as performing.
Runaway June, “New Kind of Emotion”
Trio Runaway June returns on this light-hearted track, which strives to capture the levity of a new, heartbreak-healing romance. As always, their harmonies are tightly-woven, fluttering over this honey-hued song, written by the group’s Jennifer Wayne, Natalie Stovall and Stevie Woodward, along with writer Paul Sikes, and production by Kristian Bush.
Charli XCX is flipping the calendar from Brat Summer to Brat Fall. The singer whose Brat album became the event of the summer has finally revealed the full list of guest stars slated to appear on her cameo-packed Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat remix album. The collection due out on Friday […]
Luke Combs, Eric Church, James Taylor and Billy Strings have organized Concert for Carolina, a benefit for Hurricane Helene relief that will take place Oct. 26 at North Carolina’s Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
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Combs, Church and Taylor all grew up in North Carolina, while Strings has spent considerable time performing in the Tarheel state. Concert for Carolina will be hosted by ESPN’s Marty Smith and Barstool Sports’ Caleb Pressley and presented by Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority. More artists are expected to be added.
Tickets go on sale Thursday (Oct. 10) at 10 a.m. E.T. on the Concert for Carolina website. The website also says a raffle and auction are coming soon.
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Western North Carolina has been decimated by Hurricane Helene, which swept through Sept. 27 and destroyed multiple mountain towns. The death toll from the hurricane has surpassed 225 in North Carolina and the surrounding states, including Georgia, Tennessee, Florida and Virginia.
All proceeds from the event will be split evenly between Combs’ charitable endeavors and Church’s Chief Cares Foundation to administer to organizations they choose to support relief efforts across the Carolinas and the Southeast.
Combs’ portion will be distributed among Samaritan’s Purse, Manna Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC, as well as one more organization still to be announced.
Church’s Chief Cares is focused on helping established charities and organizations that can expedite aid directly to the families affected by Hurricane Helene.
The event’s organizers called David Tepper — who owns the Carolina Panthers NFL team, Charlotte FC soccer team and Bank of America Stadium — and his wife Nicole, who immediately offered the venue for the concert, according to a press release.
Sponsors include T Mobile, Jack Daniel’s, Whatburger, Miller Lite and Blue Cross/Blue Shield North Carolina.
Taylor, one of North Carolina’s most famous native sons, moved to the state when he was three, while Combs was born outside of Charlotte and raised in Asheville. Church was born in Granite City. Both Combs and Church attended Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Although he is a Michigan native, Strings has performed at major venues across the state including an upcoming six-night run at Asheville’s ExploreAsheville.com Arena this winter.
Additionally, Church released new song “Darkest Hour” on Friday (Oct. 4) and is signing over all of his publishing royalties from the song to the people of North Carolina affected by the disaster.
At that time, Church said in a statement, “From Western North Carolina, East Tennessee, Upstate South Carolina, parts of Georgia and even Florida which took a direct hit, there are so many places that were impacted. Specifically in the area that I’m from, the mountains of Western North Carolina, were devastated. There are places that are just biblically gone. These are our family members, they’re our friends, they’re our neighbors – and they’re in dire need of help.”
The Living Legends Foundation (LLF) celebrated its 33rd anniversary with a star-studded slate of honorees and guests at its annual awards dinner and gala at Hollywood’s Taglyan Cultural Complex on Oct. 4. Leading the parade of honorees was Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO Harvey Mason jr., who was presented with the A.D. Washington Chairman Award.
Noting that “the room was filled with legends from celebrities to executives,” Living Legends Foundation chairman David C. Linton added, “On behalf of our board of directors, it’s an honor to bring together the music and entertainment industries for an important cause benefiting the executives that have poured so much into the industry and, more importantly, the culture. Congratulations to this year’s honorees. Thank you for making us proud.”
Upon accepting his award from Linton later in the evening, Mason — who recently re-upped to serve four more years as CEO — said, “I’m proud of the work that we are doing at the Recording Academy because what you all see is the trophies … the celebration, the nominations. But what you don’t see is the work that goes on with the organization. The [award] show gives us the money; the money then comes back into our community. The one thing I recognized when I took on this role is that there’s more work needed to be done around the Black music community. So a lot of effort has gone into using the resources, platform and the ability of the [Recording] Academy to continue to help all genres of music, but specifically some of the underserved communities.”
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Longtime music executive Ed Eckstine was the recipient of the Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by LLF chairman emeritus Harris and singer/actress Vanessa Williams. Williams, who sent a video message, was one of the artists that Eckstine, son of legendary jazz vocalist Billy Eckstine, signed and mentored during his tenure as president of Mercury Records — the first African American to be appointed president of a major non-Black owned record company.
Maury Phillips
Paying tribute to mentors Quincy Jones and Clive Davis, Eckstine said in part, “I do not have the words to describe the charmed life properly or adequately I led under the guidance and tutelage of ‘Q’ [while serving as GM at Quincy Jones Productions]. He taught me so much about life, music, production, the chess game called the music business, global hustle, what and what not to do and say. My 20 months doing A&R … and working for Clive exposed me on a corporate level to activities and events I had not previously been privy to … After having attempted to grow and expand beneath the shadow of two very tall trees in Q and Clive, my life was forever changed.”
After being presented with the first-ever Impact Player Award from LLF board member Shannon A. Henderson, Joi Brown — founder/CEO of the organization Culture Creators and former record label senior executive — said, “We’re not just here to create culture; we’re here to shape the future … It is our responsibility to ensure we occupy space — not to rely solely on company policies or DEI initiatives to make room for us. We belong here. We must stand tall among giants, not as guests, but as equals.”
The evening’s additional honorees included: pioneering radio/television broadcaster Donnie Simpson (Jerry Boulding Radio Award); NorthStar Group chairperson/entertainment attorney L. Londell McMillan (Kendall A. Minter Entertainment Advocate Award); B. Lifted Up! Inc. founder/CEO Gwen Franklin (Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award); veteran label executive/radio broadcaster Mike Kelly (Music Executive Award) and The Chamber Group founder/CEO Chris Chambers (Media Executive Award). All of the honorees’ acceptance speeches can be viewed here.
Arnold Turner
Among the presenters and special guests spotted inside the Taglyan Cultural Complex were Epic Records chairman/CEO Sylvia Rhone, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, The Time’s Jerome Benton, Sugar Ray Leonard, artists Ray Parker Jr., Chanté Moore and Johnny Gill, legendary radio PD Melvin “Cookin’” Jones, MRC Live & Alternative exec. vp of creative Stephen Hill, playwright/filmmaker David E. Talbert and additional LLF dignitaries, including: general counsel Dr. Denise J. Brown, president Azim Rashid and board members Skip Dillard, Sheila Eldridge and Vivian Chew.
Radio personality Skip Cheatham of Dallas R&B outlet Majic 94.5 (KZMJ) hosted the gala, with entertainment provided by DJ Battlecat. Former LLF honorees Tracey J. Jordan and Lionel Ridenour served as this year’s dinner chairpersons. For additional information about the Living Legends Foundation, visit the website.
Celine Dion has long been the exquisite image of pop opulence. The singer known for her peerless vocals and warehouse full of bespoke, bedazzled gowns is the definition of musical elegance. Which is why it makes perfect sense that she helped introduce Sunday Night Football’s classic NFL grudge match between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers for the teams’ first primetime showdown since 1982; and their first game against each other since Super Bowl XXX in 1996.
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To the strains of her 1996 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” Dion waxed poetic about her love for the game as the camera panned past a bouquet of roses atop a grand piano. “I think my favorite thing about this game is its power to connect who we are, to who we were,” she said. “To prove that our most powerful memories, our most enduring loves, can stay with us forever.”
Strolling into the recording studio in an uncharacteristically dressed-down look accented by Chuck Taylor high tops and a grey sweatshirt commemorating the 1996 Super Bowl, Dion smiled at the camera and said with a mischievous grin, “You know what I’m talking about, right? Sometimes, some nights, it all just comes back.”
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Cue throwback footage of past classic Steelers/Cowboys match-ups featuring such stars of yore as Cowboys QB Roger Staubach and Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw, while Dion waxed rhapsodic over “their love affair — well, maybe not love the way I usually sing about it, but still, you know, work with me here.” Dion then quoted a few lyrics from her power ballad — ‘When you touch me like this. When you hold me like that’ — over NFL Films footage of huge hits and testy exchanges,” adding comically, “It kind of fits, no?”
Flashing forward to more recent times, Dion added, “But really what beautiful passion it produced, what painful heartbreak it revealed so, so long ago. Like so many old flames it always feels right when they’re back together. Don’t you think? Like tonight evoking the kind of magic they once produced. the Cowboys and the Steelers, a timeless classic on Sunday night.”
Her arms resolutely crossed, Dion got viewers ready for the game by invoking the majesty of Sunday Night Football amid a slow-motion montage of the teams’ coaches getting celebratory Gatorade baths as the strains of her ballad rose to a crescendo. Oh, and she got totally doused with a double Gatorade shower at the end that left her pumping her fists in joy.
Dion has recently begun to come out of the shadows after a few years off the radar during her battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome — chronicled in this year’s I Am: Celine Dion documentary — which resulted in her cancelling all of her 2023 and 2024 tour dates. She eased back into the spotlight this summer when she performed at the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Watch Dion’s SNF kickoff video below.
After reportedly becoming a billionaire last year thanks to her juggernaut Eras Tour, Taylor Swift is now putting some distance between herself and other musical moguls. According to Forbes magazine Swift, 34, has surpassed Rihanna to become the world’s richest female musician with a net worth estimated at $1.6 billion. The financial magazine said after […]
It’s been a busy week for Coldplay. On Friday (October 4) the British band released their 10th album, Moon Music, and then hopped on to shopping channel QVC to flog it to viewers. They kept the roll going on Saturday night they appeared as music guests on SNL to help the show celebrate its 50th season.
Now, they’ve shared a deluxe edition of Moon Music entitled Full Moon Edition, which features bonus tracks and three new original songs. You can see the full tracklist below for the new release.
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Moon Music (Full Moon Edition) is out now on all platforms https://t.co/C4o1q2EncoOriginal album + 10 BLUE MOONS including The Karate Kid, Man In The Moon and 👋MOON MUSiC1. MOON MUSiC2. feelslikeimfallinginlove 3. WE PRAY 4. JUPiTER5. GOOD FEELiNGS6. 🌈7. iAAM8.… pic.twitter.com/IRYGyGgmUf— Coldplay (@coldplay) October 6, 2024
The Chris Martin-led group’s deluxe edition includes unheard tracks “The Karate Kid”, “Angelsong” and “A Wave”, the latter stylised as a waving hand emoji on streaming services. The Full Moon Edition includes alternative and live versions of some of the album’s tracks. “Feels Like I’m Falling In Live” is a version recorded live on their record-breaking Music Of The Spheres global tour, while “We Pray – Be Our Guest” removes Little Simz’ verse to encourage the listener to do their own vocal take.
Moon Music hosted an array of collaborators including super-producer Max Martin, Nigerian superstar Burna Boy, electronic musician Jon Hopkins and even a contribution from ambient pioneer Brian Eno, who produced the band’s fourth studio album, 2008’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The latest LP is a companion to their 2021 album Music Of The Spheres, which charted at No.4 on the Billboard 200.
Amidst the promotion for the new album, Martin has again discussed his vision for the band to only record 12 studio albums. Speaking to NME in 2021, Martin said “it’s a lot to pour everything into making them. I love it and it’s amazing, but it’s very intense too.”
In a new interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, Martin pointed towards the limited oeuvre for The Beatles, Bob Marley and the Harry Potter books and films. “Having that limit means that the quality control is so high right now, and for a song to make it, it’s almost impossible, which is great,” he said.
Elsewhere the band recently announced a new U.K. leg of stadium tour dates in London and Hull, including 10 sold-out nights at Wembley Stadium. The U.K. shows – their only in Europe in 2025 – will include a donation to the Music Venues Trust to support the grassroots music scene.
It’s another chart double for Sabrina Carpenter in the land Down Under, while Bring Me The Horizon and The Amity Affliction ensure the top end of the ARIA Albums Chart is heavier than usual.
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Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet (via Island/Universal) holds at No. 1 on the latest tally, published Friday, Oct. 4, extending its chart reign to five non-consecutive weeks.
Meanwhile, Bring Me The Horizon’s Post Human: Nex Gen re-enters at a new peak of No. 2, following its release on physical format. That bests its No. 4 debut in May 2024.
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Chappell Roan’s seemingly unstoppable rise continues. The U.S. alternative pop diva completes the podium with The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess, up 5-3 for its peak position
Close behind is Ed Sheeran’s first greatest hits album, +–=÷× (Tour Collection), new No. 4, for the superstar British singer and songwriter’s eighth top 10 album in these parts. All seven of his studio albums have hit No. 1 on the ARIA Chart.
Further down the list, Australian hardcore act The Amity Affliction opens at No. 7 with Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux), a rerecording of their 2014 album which logged a single week at No. 1, one of their five leaders (the others are Chasing Ghosts in 2012, Let The Ocean Take Me in 2014, This Could Be Heartbreak in 2016 and Misery in 2018.
Let The Ocean Take Me (Redux) is one of three homegrown debutants in the ARIA Top 40, a tally that includes Aussie hip-hop duo Posseshot with PS4: Operation Burner Rap (No. 21) and The Rions with Happiness In A Place It Shouldn’t Be (at No. 35).
There’s a noteworthy bump for Katy Perry’s 2010 hit album Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, up 24-13 following the U.S. pop star’s performance at the AFL Grand Final. The collection led the chart for two weeks back in 2010.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Carpenter’s “Taste” holds at No. 1 for a sixth consecutive week, tying with Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” as the longest running leader this year.
Finally, the highest new entry belongs to The Weeknd and Playboy Carti, with “Timeless”, new at No. 11. The Weeknd is currently in Australia on his rescheduled Hours Til Dawn stadium tour.
Produced by Live Nation, the trek has completed two dates at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium (Oct. 5 and 6), and has two more to come at Sydney’s Accord Stadium, on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23.
Music has gone through a lot of changes since the American Music Awards debuted on Feb. 19, 1974, as a fan-driven alternative to the Grammy Awards. American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, a two-hour special that aired on Sunday, Oct. 6, captured many of those changes in smartly curated segments and fresh performances.
Fifty years is a long time, of course. Two of the three co-hosts of that first show (Roger Miller and Helen Reddy) are no longer with us, nor is the show’s creator, legendary TV producer Dick Clark. The show recently switched networks, from ABC to CBS, which aired this anniversary show and will air the next regular AMA broadcast in May.
The original plan was for the AMAs to debut on CBS with a regular best-of-the-past-year broadcast. Someone had the bright idea to first remind the audience of the AMAs’ considerable history before relaunching the show (which has been on hiatus since 2022.)
Motown legend Smokey Robinson, who was the third co-host of that first show, introduced a segment on this anniversary show. He was one of six former AMAs hosts or co-hosts to appear, along with Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Reba McEntire, Jimmy Kimmel and Cedric the Entertainer.
The AMAs has had a far longer life than most expected – and that includes Clark himself. In December 1973, Clark was working on the first AMAs. He knew a little publicity couldn’t hurt, so he found time for an interview with Billboard’s Bob Kirsch which ran on page one of the Dec. 15, 1973 issue under the headline “ABC-TV Slates Favorite Acts’ Awards Feb. 19.”
At the end of the piece, Clark attempted to take the long view of his fledgling show and said “If this is done properly, we may have a show that will last 20 years and will finally get the general public involved in popular music awards.”
Clark underestimated the longevity of his own creation. Next year’s AMAs will be the 51st.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special was produced by Dick Clark Productions. Michael Dempsey served as executive producer.
Here are eight moments from the AMAs special in which they most effectively told the big-picture story of the vast changes in popular music in the last 50 years.
American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special is produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.
Gladys Knight Performs a Classic
Mariah Carey is many things – but casual isn’t one of them. So naturally, when she performed Sunday (Oct. 6) evening at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, she had to make an entrance. The middle portion of a giant hot pink ‘M’ on the AMAs stage opened up to reveal the diva herself, […]