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What started as a whisper soon became a cacophony. As the August Bank Holiday weekend approached the U.K. industry was abuzz with rumors that stadium dates had been booked and that the great divide between Noel and Liam Gallagher had been bridged. The following week (Aug. 27) Oasis released a statement saying that a truce had been reached and they would reunite. “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over,” they said.
But how did the stars align exactly? It’s the question that everyone wants the answer to and, as of publication, we’re no closer to knowing. Beyond the reveal that the band would reunite to play a string of U.K. stadiums in 2025, there has been silence: no tell-all interview, or dispatches on Liam’s unfiltered, often hilarious, X (formerly Twitter) profile. Following the announcement, Noel did get cornered while out shopping by a brazen youngster who asked why the pair had fallen out. “‘Cause he stole my teddy bear,” Noel replied coyly.
Perhaps it’s purely for sentimental reasons. For years the pair fired insults at the other via the press. Liam took to calling Noel a “potato” and chiding his “cosmic pop” direction in his solo material. Noel gave as good as he got, saying that he didn’t listen to Liam’s solo material because “I can’t stand his voice” and dubbed the younger brother’s 2019 single “Shockwave” as “Shitwave.”
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But eventually there was a softening. In a clip released alongside the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, Noel made a point of praising his brother’s vocal performances on the record. Last spring, he laid down the gauntlet to Liam to get a reunion sorted and to stop the chatter: “He should get his people to call my people.” Seemingly, the call worked.
Post-COVID, the ‘90s have never been so popular. The decade’s aesthetic – baggy clothing, long hair, middle partings – has infiltrated TikTok videos, as has the sounds of the generation of musicians that made it big in the era. Reunion shows for the band’s contemporaries (and rivals) Blur and Pulp over the past two summers were attended by both Gen Z and their parents. Social media users have made spurious links between the selection of a Labour government in this year’s general election and that of Oasis’ return. In 1997, Tony Blair capitalized on the Britpop movement and his left-wing Labour government was elected in a landslide victory. Noel was later seen hobnobbing at No. 10 with the elites he once chided.
Liam, who remains a youth icon despite his 51 years, has seized the initiative. Earlier this summer, he celebrated Definitely Maybe’s 30th anniversary with a dedicated U.K. tour, playing the album in full. The tour was wildly successful earning rave reviews and stellar ticket sales; by the time he reached the run’s final show at Reading Festival on Aug. 25, he was teasing the incoming reunion announcement during the show.
The commercial opportunities for reuniting were likely overwhelming. Music industry expert Professor Jonathan Shalit estimated that the shows stand to generate £400 million in income for the group and promoters including SJM Concerts and Live Nation. Noel and Liam are expected to clear £50 million each after tax from these shows alone. Billboard Boxscore reported that a reunion world tour could “easily out-gross and out-sell the band’s entire touring history.”
The band have already collaborated with fashion brands Levi’s, Urban Outfitters and even Amazon for new merchandise drops. Streams of the band’s back catalog are on the rise following the news of their announcement. The possibility of getting a new demographic into the back catalog on DSPs will sweeten their existing power on physical media: a reissue of Definitely Maybe is set to go in at No.1 on the U.K. Albums Charts this week, toppling Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet.
There have been setbacks, however. Last year, Noel announced that he and publicist Sara McDonald, his partner since 2000 and the mother of two of his children, would be divorcing. Reports earlier this year said that Gallagher paid a settlement of £20 million to his former wife. She also took ownership of their £8 million-valued mansion in London.
There’s potentially another sizeable payday looming for Noel, the band’s chief songwriter. In 2025, the publishing rights for the band’s entire back catalog – including “Don’t Look Back In Anger” and “Wonderwall” – will reportedly revert back to his ownership.
In recent years, there’s been continued interest from record labels and investment firms such as Hipgnosis to acquire the rights to some of music’s most lucrative catalogs. Queen recently sold their rights for an eye-watering £1 billion, while Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Katy Perry have also landed sizeable sums for their work.
A 2025 reunion would no doubt act as a thrilling advert for the breadth and potential for these songs as they potentially go up for sale. The opportunity to boost streams of the catalog – where much of the income will be generated – through a renewed presence in the spotlight is a shrewd one. Liam, who did not contribute any songwriting credits until 2000’s “Little James,” will likely not benefit from such a sale.
Despite the excitement and opportunities, Oasis have found themselves at the center of a storm. The use of Ticketmaster’s controversial “in-demand” dynamic pricing model meant that fans paid substantially higher prices than expected, particularly after queuing on the site for hours for a chance to purchase. Some reported paying over £350 for a ticket that initially was priced at £135. It has drawn the ire of fans, industry and politicians, with the government and the consumer watchdog Competitions Market Authority said to be “urgently investigating” the practice. The band have since responded saying that they had no “awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.”
After 15 years of waiting, the reunion the world was waiting for finally happened. Can Messrs. Noel and Liam keep it together long enough for everyone to enjoy it? Definitely. Maybe…
Many Grammy winners for best new artist have gone on to long and distinguished careers. The Beatles, the GOAT of all groups, won the award in 1965. Mariah Carey, the queen of Christmas and one of the top artists in pop and R&B history, won in 1991. Adele, who has the longest-running No. 1 album by a solo woman in Billboard 200 history, won in 2012. Billie Eilish, who won nine Grammys and two Oscars before her 23rd birthday, won in 2020.
Two eventual EGOT recipients, Marvin Hamlisch and John Legend, are past best new artist winners.
Other past winners of note include Bobby Darin (the first winner, in 1959), Jose Feliciano, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Carpenters, Carly Simon, Natalie Cole, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, Sade, Bruce Hornsby & the Range, Tracy Chapman, Toni Braxton, Sheryl Crow, LeAnn Rimes, Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood and Sam Smith.
All of the aforementioned acts have received at least one additional Grammy nomination since their best new artist wins. But 13 past winners for best new artist haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since their night of glory. We’re not including this year’s winner, Victoria Monét, because she obviously hasn’t had an opportunity yet to add to her nomination tally.
We’re also not including four groups that haven’t been nominated since winning best new artist because one or more members were nominated on their own. America wasn’t nominated after winning in 1973, but Dan Peek, a member of that trio, was, for best gospel performance, contemporary or inspirational, for his album All Things Are Possible. Culture Club wasn’t nominated after winning in 1984, but Boy George was, twice – best pop vocal performance, male for “The Crying Game” and best dance recording for “When Will You Learn.”
Hootie & the Blowfish weren’t nominated after winning in 1996, but Darius Rucker won best country solo performance for “Wagon Wheel.” And fun. wasn’t nominated after winning in 2013 (no surprise since they haven’t released another album since their win), but Jack Antonoff and Nate Ruess have both been nominated since that night. Ruess received two nods for “Just Give Me a Reason,” his hit collab with P!nk. Antonoff has won nine Grammys since that night.
Here’s a list of past winners for best new artist who haven’t been nominated for a Grammy since.
Robert Goulet
In July, more than 420,000 people competed for tickets to The Weeknd‘s highly anticipated show in São Paulo, Brazil, scheduled for Saturday (Sept. 7) and just under a year after his last visit to the country. The overwhelming success of “Blinding Lights” gave the 34-year-old Canadian the title of most popular artist on the planet by Guinness World Records in March of last year (which he just lost to Billie Eilish). On Billboard’s Hot 100, the song reached the top, remained among the most listened to for 90 weeks and boosted the popularity of his albums After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022). It holds the title of being the biggest song in all Hot 100 history.
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Only 16% of those 420,000 people got the chance to see Abel Tesfaye in person. Being successful in the competitive music industry did not exempt the composer, however, from struggling with his mental health. But, according to him, giving up was never in his plans. One of the keywords of his new phase is “rebirth.”
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The choice of the capital of São Paulo for the start of this tour was not a coincidence. The Weeknd visited the city last October, performing two sold-out nights at Allianz Parque with the show After Hours Til Dawn. It was in São Paulo that Tesfaye composed the central song of the new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow – affectionately nicknamed “Frankenstein” by the singer for exploring different sounds, but without losing its essence — something he does masterfully.
The Canadian details the importance of the Brazilian public for the next steps in his career, which has lasted 14 years and includes great achievements such as being the most listened to artist on Spotify (until Billie surpassed him in August), with 105 million monthly listeners, winning four Grammy Awards (despite not submitting his work for the awards since 2021, as a statement that shook the industry) and having almost $500 million in gross sales with the After Hours Til Dawn Tour, which filled stadiums around the world.
“I can speak for all artists when I say it’s hard to put into words the love and energy that the Brazilian people express when you’re on stage,” says The Weeknd in an exclusive interview with Billboard Brazil. “You feel the music so deeply. São Paulo and Rio reminded me that the frequencies we radiate as musicians are important. They remind me why I wanted to make music: to connect. I’ll spend the rest of my life knowing that.”
The broadness of The Weeknd’s discography is another factor that explains such success. He navigates the world very well to the pop, R&B, electropop and other genres, and he is spot-on in his dark lyricism when sings about the pains of love, fame and the challenges he faced (and still faces) to make a living from music. Shortly after announcing the concert in Brazil, the singer spoke on social media about “facing the abyss”. “It can mean many things. For me, it is something very specific,” he says in the interview, in a mysterious mood. “I faced it long enough. Most of the time, I overcame it. But I work on it every day. I hope that [my music] helps others face and overcome the abyss, too.”
One of the abysses Tesfaye faces is mental health. “What makes a grown man want to cry? / What makes him want to take his own life? / His happiness is never real,” he sings on 2018’s “I Was Never There.” In his faith—he was raised in an Ethiopian Orthodox Christian family—and in music, the Canadian has found comfort to overcome the most difficult moments. “I think about giving up every day. But I also find purpose every day,” says the singer, unafraid to open up and show his vulnerability. “My relationship with God is stronger than ever. I find comfort in His presence when I need it most. I talk to Him constantly. It’s been a long journey, but I’m here,” concludes the artist.
Tesfaye was born in Toronto, Canada, the son of Ethiopian immigrants. Inspired by Michael Jackson, he discovered his love for music at a young age. The artist has revealed that he was penalized for singing at inopportune times, such as during school classes or at the dinner table. Despite being discouraged, he released his first mixtape as The Weeknd, House of Balloons, in 2011, while splitting his time between art and work at a North American clothing retailer. The project entered the Billboard 200, anticipating the success of subsequent releases. “Wicked Games,” the first single, debuted at No. 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013. In the following years, he reached No. 1 on the chart with hits such as “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Save Your Tears” and “Die For You.”
When asked about taking care of his mind, the singer is even more honest. Brutally honest, as rarely seen in showbiz. “It’s funny you should mention this [mental health]. I just had a panic attack right before this interview. My anxiety is a constant battle, and I feel like it never goes away. I’m learning to control it, but I’ve already realized that it’s part of my life. I can’t escape it.”
Tesfaye spent part of his adolescence living on the streets, but he assures us: the main difficulty he faced in life was questioning his purpose and his connection with art. “The biggest challenge is not knowing if you were made for this, not knowing if it was meant to be. Most people still don’t know. I feel very lucky. I was able to take these depressive and nihilistic feelings and put them into my work. That ended up being my therapy,” he says, citing the philosophical school of thought that believes life has no value or purpose, often associated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.
On YouTube, The Weeknd has accumulated almost 28 billion views on his channel. “Call Out My Name,” “The Hills” and “Starboy” are also part of his extensive list of hits. Expectations for his new era are high – both from fans and music critics. Dawn FM, released in January 2022, was acclaimed by the British newspaper The Guardian, from which it received the highest score: “Abel Tesfaye confirms his status as one of the greatest of all time with an album of icy splendor influenced by the 1980s”.
Another newspaper that praised the album was The New York Times. “His fifth album […] is elegant and vigorous and also, once again, a light reinterpretation of what big-scale music can sound like today, in an era in which most global stars have abandoned that concept.”
“There is always pressure to surpass my last project,” he says about the new era, presented for the first time at the show in São Paulo. “Growth is important. Sometimes it may not be what people want to hear from me at the moment, but, when the body of work is complete, I hope they can appreciate what I have been trying to achieve. I have been working on this discography for a long time. It was all planned,” he assures, escaping from the monotony. “I always try to achieve something that I haven’t done before musically. Sometimes it may not be clear on the first listen [to the album], but fans seem to figure it out over time,” he believes. Being at the top, for the Canadian, is subjective. “The only pressure for me is to be better than the older version of myself, focusing on growth, achieving my own goals, not other people’s.”
Tesfaye also spoke about the pains and pleasures of fame, a common theme in his work, whether in music or in the visual arts. When asked about how to keep his feet firmly on the ground, he repeated the sincerity demonstrated throughout the conversation with Billboard Brazil. “I stay away from people as much as possible. I try to have as much privacy in my life as possible. I never give off [that] ‘famous’ energy. I think trying to be famous is a talent in itself. I haven’t mastered that talent… And I don’t intend to,” he says, escaping the industry buzz.
Last year, the composer spoke about controlling the way he is seen and heard by the public. In the midst of the transition of concepts in his career, he revisits the idea. “Honestly, I don’t even remember saying that. But everyone would love to be able to control the narrative. It’s impossible. So you try your best and make the most of it. Less is more. I’ve learned a lot in the last two years, and it’s definitely the least control I’ve ever had. But I’ve learned a lot, and that’s the most important thing,” he says.
“Too much control is unhealthy. Collaboration is important, whether it’s artistically, with ideas, or even with energy. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, being too controlling and not having enough control. And leaning too far toward either side can be dangerous. It’s a constant balancing act, but the results are the best.”
Mending the dark parts of himself, The Weeknd’s Frankenstein must bring the singer’s lessons learned at the height of his fame—and pursue his chosen purpose in life, bringing comfort and refuge to those facing their own demons.
This article originally appeared in Billboard Brazil.
Waylon Wyatt recently had a pretty good excuse for missing school: the 17-year old was on the road with Dwight Yoakam. “Just last week, I couldn’t make it to school on Thursday and Friday, because I was opening for Dwight. You know how crazy that seems?” the high school senior asks.
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But Wyatt (whose full name is Waylon Wyatt Potter) is getting used to crazy moments since he began writing songs two years ago, influenced by alt-country artists such as Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan. The Hackett, Arkansas native has broken through thanks to songs including “Everything Under the Sun” (a song he says was inspired by “watching sunsets over a lake in my hometown”) and “Arkansas Diamond,” which lie at the intersection of folk, country and rock. “Arkansas Diamond” has earned more than 24 million Spotify streams, while “Everything Under the Sun” has reached over 12 million streams on the platform.
Today (Sept. 6), he and fellow newcomer (and “Maxed Out” singer) Bayker Blankenship have teamed up for the churning, heartland rock of “Jailbreak.”
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“I found him on social media after he covered a song of mine, ‘Arkansas Diamond,’ and we reached out to each other,” Wyatt tells Billboard over Zoom. “We became friends and now we have a song we created and recorded together. It’s pretty wild.”
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In August 2023, Wyatt signed a deal with Music Soup and Darkroom Records. Darkroom’s roster includes nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish, “Feel It” performer D4vd and DJ/music producer John Summit, with Wyatt becoming the label’s first country/Americana artist. “I found that more unique about [signing with Darkroom Records] was they don’t have [a country/Americana artist], so maybe I could give it to them,” he says.
He is quick to credit Darkroom’s unconventional method of reaching out to him during several other labels also expressing interest. “I worked for my dad’s construction business and in one of my TikTok videos, I was wearing the company’s hat. Darkroom DM’d me, but also called my dad’s business, got ahold of his secretary, and then scheduled a Zoom meeting,” Wyatt recalls. “It all kind of kicked off from there.”
In addition to artists such as Bryan and Childers, Wyatt counts some of his biggest influences as pioneering country artists popular way before he was born, including Waylon Jennings, Don Williams and Hank Williams, Sr. “I actually prefer [the music of] Hank Williams, Sr. over Hank Williams Jr. — I might get hate off that, I don’t know,” he says.
Though he sounds surefooted in his blend of rugged acoustic country/rock, Wyatt says he’s dabbled in different sounds.
“I’ve wanted to do all kinds of singing since I was 12 or so. I had my little rap phase where I was big on Eminem — the first song I probably ever learned by him was ‘Lose Yourself,’” he explains. “I actually wrote some raps, too; I wouldn’t say they were the best, but it was trial and error. But just all these years of finding myself musically, it’s been great.”
He followed his breakthrough songs in July with the seven-song, acoustic-driven EP Til The Sun Goes Down, a project he wrote and recorded on his own (the project was released via Music Soup/Darkroom). The lo-fi effort features his gritty voice backed by only an acoustic guitar, with songs including “Back to Then,” “Arkansas Diamond,” “Phoning Heaven” and “Riches to Rags.”
“There was no overproduction or anything on these songs,” Wyatt says. “I didn’t imagine it being a bigger body of work, but as I progressed through ’em, I was like, ‘All these songs that I wrote so far, they could run together.’ They’re all based out of the same stuff. All of them are very relatable pieces of work.”
Wyatt’s hometown of Hackett has just 800 people, making for a close-knit community, including his schoolmates, who are proud of his career breakthrough. “A lot of them don’t know how to process it because I’ve grown up with them and it’s a small school. My hometown is small, so I know pretty much every face around here. But they’ve been so supportive,” he says.
Wyatt, who is booked by Wasserman, is set to perform during AmericanaFest this year, before making his Stagecoach Festival debut in 2025. But he’s also balancing music with completing his senior year of high school. “My parents never did go to college or anything,” he says, “but they are big on [my] finishing the school year out.”
Ahead, he says he would love to release another project, one that “would probably include a little more production than just guitar. And more fiddle, because I love hearing fiddle.”
A$AP Rocky is looking to gain some momentum heading into the arrival of his new album Don’t Be Dumb this fall, and he put the rap world on high-alert when teaming up with J. Cole on Friday (Sept. 6) for “Ruby Rosary,” which some fans believe may be dissing Drake.
The Alchemist gets on the keys and provides the intoxicating production. Rocky kicks things off helming a pair of smooth verses bragging about his drip and place in the game. “Funny how I birthed so many sons with no ovaries,” he raps.
Fans speculated that the Harlem native revived his feud with Drake and sent more subliminal shots at the 6 God throughout “Ruby Rosary.” “N—a want smoke with me, tell him, ‘Push up, Hercules’/ Hercules, tell him push up, tell him pull up, 33,” he raps in what some perceived as a play on words with Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track.
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Rocky continues to snipe: “Who in your top five? Haha (F–k your top five)/ I don’t get fresh to death, b–h, I’m buried alive/ I heard dawg talkin’ funny, like it’s Family Guy/ Carin’ for n—s like I’m Mary or Bob, made a promise to God/ You gotta strive when you marry the mob.”
J. Cole comes in from the bullpen and picks up the pace with a fiery assist while using a common flow from his repertoire. “What happens when rappin’ no longer matters? Can I still make a stack on my brilliance/ I don’t wanna go back to civilian status/ I’m an addict for comfort and doin’ whatever I want to,” he admits.
“J.Cole ain’t diss Drake but ASAP Rocky definitely did,” one listener tweeted. “That buried alive line was clever.”
Added another, “That family guy bar by asap rocky is genuinely the worst diss bar against drake from this entire rap beef.”
A$AP addressed his situation with Drake in his August cover story with Billboard, and he’s not paying Drizzy any mind.
“You got to realize, certain n—as was throwing shots for years. I ain’t in the middle of that s–t,” Rocky said. “That’s not how I retaliate right now. I got bigger fish to fry than some p—y boys. It is real beef outside. It is real. N—as getting really clipped and blitzed every day. N—as sniping n—as every day. That little kitty s–t ain’t about nothing.”
“Ruby Rosary” marks the first time Rocky and J. Cole have collided on a track. It’s also Rocky’s third single following the arrival of “Tailor Swif” and “Highjack,” which debuted at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
Listen to the collab below.
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If you were one of the many members of the Beyhive who buzzed in earlier this week to wish Beyoncé a happy 43rd birthday, she wants you to know she appreciated it. In an Instagram post on Thursday (Sept. 5), the R&B superstar thanked her fans for their kind words while serving up some typically […]
On a warm Friday August afternoon, in an Italianate mansion in the hilliest (read: gatedest) part of Beverly Hills, Paris Hilton breezes into the room. The assembled label reps and journalists were politely asked to take our shoes off in the marble-floored foyer of the estate that serves as the office of Hilton’s 11:11 Media, a content company for brands and creators. Upstairs in this white carpeted room, the lady of the house wears stilettos.
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The occasion for this gathering is Hilton’s new album, Infinite Icon, out today (Sept. 6), 18 years after the release of her self-titled debut. The album is a dance–pop hybrid that finds Hilton in full pop mode, with a group of collaborators that includes Meghan Thee Stallion, Rina Sawayama, Sia and Meghan Trainor. Paris set a precedent for success with its “Stars Are Blind,” which spent 12 weeks on the Hot 100 in 2006, peaked at No. 18 — and, to this day, bangs.
The house/office is decorated to remind onlookers of what Hilton has accomplished. There are posters on the wall for her show The Simple Life, a Y2K-era ratings juggernaut that helped make Hilton and co-star Nicole Richie household names. Her 2021 reality program Paris in Love tracked her wedding to now-husband Carter Reum, who welcomes us into the house and offers Diet Coke and a tour of the “Sliving Spa,” a collection of amenities that includes hyperbaric and cryotherapy chambers set up in what used to be the garage. There’s a display of pink purses and a neon wall sign proclaiming “That’s Hot,” the catchphrase Hilton trademarked in 2004, long before “very demure” became the patent-pending slogan of the summer.
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As an assistant leads up upstairs, we pass racks (and racks) of clothing (bright, bedazzled, feathery) pulled for, among other things, an upcoming music video shoot for Infinite Icon‘s “Bad Bitch Academy.” A mood board for the video, among other very fierce, very empowering imagery, has a picture of the famous 2006 photo of Hilton, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan that the New York Post published with the headline “Bimbo Summit,” which on the moodboard has been swapped for “Bad Bitch Summit.”
But much of the clothing will not ultimately appear in the video; it will instead be incinerated in an RV fire that will happen outside the L.A. video set a week from now. An accident triggered by what Hilton assumes was an electrical issue, the fire started just after they shot the first scene and destroyed nearly everything inside the RV, among it Hilton’s clothes, shoes, hair extensions, 300 pairs of sunglasses, and other more irreplaceable ephemera.
“With my ADHD, I have notepads where I have like, thousands of notes, and all of that burned along with all my journals,” Hilton tells Billboard in the wake of the fire. “It’s just been heartbreaking, really.”
But even with the tamed blaze still smoldering, Hilton and the team carried on with the shoot. “A lot of people thought it was going to be over,” she says. ” I’m like, ‘No, no, we’re powering through.’” You can genuinely say that actual fire can’t stop Paris Hilton from her pop star dreams.
Certainly a second album laden with hooks and household names guests might help her get there. But in a way, with the fame, the wealth , the outfits and the pre-existing Hot 100 hit, Hilton has always been a kind of pop queen — now she just has more music to go with it. “I’ve always had that attitude and vibe and feel,” she agrees. “Even when I go to my perfume line [release] signings and all of these things around the world, my products, my books, I feel like a pop star all the time. So this is just the next level, with this album.”
The project finds her in what’s always seemed to be her comfort zone: surrounded by a gaggle of gal pals. Infinite Icon was executive produced by Sia, a turn of events that happened after Hilton appeared with the singer and Miley Cyrus to perform “Stars Are Blind” on Cyrus’ on NBC’s 2022 Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party special. The day after, Hilton flew home with Sia on the latter’s private jet and divulged her dream of making more pop music, which Sia encouraged into existence with sessions at her house.
“The first time I sang in front of her, I was, like, freaking out,” says Hilton. “I’m like this is the greatest songwriter, singer of our time, and I’m singing in front of her — and I’m so shy, but she literally brought out something in me that I didn’t even know I had. Before I was more in the baby voice and being very breathy and kind of like, Marilyn [Monroe] vibes. And then with this album, I just felt like a woman.”
Infinite Icon was recorded at Sia’s place, L.A.’s Sunset Studios and the studios Hilton had built in this house and her other house not far from here.
The general vibe is that everyone who worked on it is a bff. Sia is “my guardian angel, my fairy godmother. I love her so much.” Meghan Trainor — “such a sweetheart. I love her. She is my sis for life” — wrote two Infinite Icon songs, which she also sings on. Co-producer Jesse Shatkin, who produced Sia’s “Chandelier” among many other things is “amazing,” while music video director Hannah Lux Davis is “such a badass.” The album takes inspiration from pop stars that made the mold — “I’ve always looked up to Madonna” — including those Hilton has been actual friends with: “I always loved Britney.”
The project is also influenced by Hilton’s longtime love of dance music, a relationship cultivated by attending many of the world’s greatest parties over the years. (“All my friends are like, begging me to go [to Burning Man], and I’m like, ‘Guys, I have an album coming out next week. I cannot be there,” she says when we speak during Burning Man week.) She is also, of course, a longtime DJ herself.
“My DJ career has definitely had a massive influence on me and my life and making this album,” she says. “Performing all around the world at music festivals, for thousands of people and being on stage and just really paying attention to what makes people move and how to create those unforgettable dancefloor moments — I wanted to bring that same energy into the album.” To that end, Infinite Icon‘s “Infinity” is pure fist-pumping Tomorrowland fare.
Other songs traverse more nuanced topics like her ADHD diagnosis, bad relationships, the love she says she’s now found with Reum and their two young children (son Phoenix is 19 months, daughter London will be one in November) the emptiness of fame and even death. These themes further the expansion of Hilton’s public image that started in 2020 with the release of her documentary, This Is Paris.
In it, she disclosed her experiences at Provo Canyon School, an involuntary residential center for young people where she was taken against her will in 1997, when she was 16. The mental and physical abuse she experienced there was revealed in the doc, which has been viewed 80 million times on YouTube alone. The film fell squarely into the broader public reassessment of the misogynistic and often abusive treatment many female celebrities (Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson, Janet Jackson, etc.) received from the media and culture at large in the Perez Hlton era.
Hilton went deeper into her story in her 2023 memoir, which an assistant hands out copies of after the mansion office album listening session. The book details adventures like the time she and photographer David LaChapelle snuck into her grandparents’ house for an impromptu photo shoot (the grandparents were asleep upstairs) — and thornier subjects, like how the release of a private sex tape against her will by an ex-partner derailed her rising career when she was 19 years old. (One might, for example, read the first half in one sitting on a Friday night in August.)
“That was just such a therapeutic experience,” Hilton says of the documentary, “delving into my life and really taking that time just to reflect on my life and everything I’d been through, and just seeing how strong I am, and resilient, and just what I’ve had to endure. Then with the book, it took it to the next level, where I even started going even deeper, and then through the music. So, yeah, I don’t think the album would have been as deep as it is if it wasn’t for doing the documentary and then that book.”
She’s got a few live shows behind the album lined up and says while her main focus is her family and her business empire she’d love to play Coachella (“that would be iconic”) and make music with Charli XCX. “I’m the original brat,” she says matter of factly.
“Every time I’ve spoken with [Charli],” she continues, “she’s like, ‘You’ve always been such an inspiration to my music.’ So I just think it just makes so much sense for us to do a song together.” Luckily, the few things that didn’t burn up in the fire included a notebook with ideas for her third album.
All in all, the impression one gets is that Paris Hilton is indeed — in a phrase she trademarked in 2022 — “sliving.” Given the intoxicating but also often toxic realm of celebrity that she emerged from, it’s easy to see how things could have gone differently for her. Instead, she’s got her family, a global business, and now, the album she’s spent nearly 20 years dreaming about. She’s sweet, and she seems happy.
“Being the blueprint for modern celebrity, and really redefining what it means and pioneering a new kind of celebrity, and being someone that blends fashion and media and business and pop culture into a powerful personal brand — I feel proud of that,” she says. “I love seeing so many people now who can follow in my footsteps and take that blueprint and be able to create their own brands and their own businesses and create a beautiful life to support themselves.”
It’s perhaps not the future even she’d dreamed for herself back when “Stars are Blind” was on the charts.
“It just makes me happy anytime I meet someone who says like, ‘Thank you so much. You’re the reason that I do what I do,’” she says. “Or, ‘If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.’ Or, ‘Thank you so much for always being my role model.’ Growing up as a teenager and everything I went through, I never thought I would ever hear that. So it’s just been very validating to me.”
Selena Gomez is in rare financial air. According to a report from Bloomberg published Friday (Sept. 6), the 32-year-old star has officially crossed over into billionaire status. More precisely, Gomez now has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion, making her one of the world’s youngest self-made billionaires. The publication attributes the “vast bulk” of […]
SZA had a big night at the BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, which were held at Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on Thursday (Sept. 5). In addition to receiving the previously announced BMI Champion Award, she was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year and received Song of the Year for “Kill Bill” alongside her co-writers Rob Bisel and Carter Lang. The smash hit reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has over one billion streams on Spotify.
Upon receiving the BMI Champion Award, SZA said, “I have to say songwriting awards mean the most to me because when I started and I needed people to come and write for me; I didn’t have anybody. … I’m grateful to be honored today because there’s so many songwriters in here that literally made me.”
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This marked the first time the BMI Champion Award has been presented in the R&B/Hip-Hop ceremony’s 24-year history. Mike Steinberg, BMI’s EVP, chief revenue & creative officer, praised SZA “for using her voice as a champion … and raising the bar in songwriting creativity and breaking boundaries at every turn.” He added, “Her once-in-a-lifetime sound has mesmerized audiences around the globe.”
In a tribute to SZA, Bren Joy performed “Broken Clocks,” and MaKenzie performed “Nobody Gets Me.”
The private event was hosted by BMI president & CEO Mike O’Neill and BMI vice president, creative, Atlanta, Catherine Brewton.
As previously announced, Babyface was named a BMI Icon at the ceremony. In accepting the award, Babyface said, “I only know that I got here because I love music, and it was the one pure thing that I knew that I could do, and I did it with all my heart. If you do it from the heart, that’s the main thing that keeps you going.”
He then surprised the audience with a performance of his 1990 smash “Whip Appeal.” Babyface and Perri McKissack co-wrote the song, which reached the top 10 on both the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Babyface has collected 64 BMI Awards. He received BMI’s Song of the Year three times, BMI Pop Songwriter of the Year seven times and, together with his LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid, was named a BMI Icon in 2006.
Several artists paid tribute to Babyface by performing his songs. Mac Royals opened with “My My My,” followed by Tamar Braxton with “Superwoman” and Mario with “I’ll Make Love to You” and “Can We Talk.” Lil Wayne paid tribute to his mentor and friend before O’Neill and Brewton presented the Icon Award. O’Neill praised Babyface’s talent and impact on generations of music makers, and for being with the BMI family for nearly five decades.
Hitmaker Tay Keith received Producer of the Year for his work on hits such as “First Person Shooter” performed by Drake featuring J. Cole, “Meltdown” by Travis Scott featuring Drake, “SkeeYee” by Sexyy Red and “Circo Loco” by Drake and 21 Savage. This marks the third time Keith has been named Producer of the Year. (He was also named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year in 2018.)
Coleman, Dougie F, Metro Boomin, RIOTUSA and Jahaan Sweet were also named top producers during the ceremony.
Universal Music Publishing was named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Publisher of the Year for representing 21 of the previous year’s most-performed songs, including “Kill Bill,” “Barbie World,” “Paint the Town Red,” “Players,” “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” and “Snooze.”
Over the course of the ceremony, BMI recognized the top producers and songwriters of the previous year’s 35 Most-Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the U.S., naming 56 first-time winners.
To see a complete list of winners, visit BMI’s site.
On this week’s (Sept. 6) episode of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we take a look at a pair of “Mirror” men: all-time rap legend Lil Wayne (No. 21) and classic pop entertainer Bruno Mars (No. 20). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news First, […]