Music
Page: 576
Stevie Nicks‘ “The Lighthouse” tops this week’s new music poll.
Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Sept. 27) on Billboard, choosing the rock icon’s fresh song as their favorite new music release of the past week.
The poll presented stiff competition, but Nicks’ new song brought in almost 72% of the vote. Voters this week chose “The Lighthouse” over hot new music releases from talent including Lady Gaga, The Weeknd and Playboi Carti, Rosalía featuring Ralphie Choo, and more.
“The Lighthouse,” Nicks stated upon releasing the track on Sept. 27, “may be the most important thing I ever do.”
“I have my scars, you have yours/ Don’t let them take your power,” she sings with skilled restraint, with verses leading up to a dynamic chorus that urges listeners to “see the future and get mad.”
Trending on Billboard
“I wrote this song a few months after Roe v. Wade was overturned,” wrote Nicks in a post on Instagram. “It seemed like overnight, people were saying ‘what can we, as a collective force, do about this…’ For me, it was to write a song.”
She continued, “It took a while because I was on the road. Then early one morning I was watching the news on TV and a certain newscaster said something that felt like she was talking to me~ explaining what the loss of Roe v. Wade would come to mean. I wrote the song the next morning and recorded it that night. That was September 6, 2022. I have been working on it ever since. I have often said to myself, ‘This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters ~ and the men that love them.”
“This is an anthem,” Nicks said.
Among the new music trailing behind “The Lighthouse” on this week’s poll is Lady Gaga’s Harlequin project, nearing 18% of the vote, and The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s new collab “Timeless,” with 3% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
Take Our Poll
Matthew West and Brandon Lake received top honors at the 47th annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards, which were held in downtown Nashville on Sunday (Sept. 29). West was named Christian music songwriter of the year. Lake won Christian music songwriter/artist of the year.
This is the sixth time West has been named ASCAP Christian music songwriter of the year. His most performed songs this year are “Any More,” “Don’t Stop Praying,” “Heaven Changes Everything,” “Never,” “Running Home” and “Strong.” In 2023, West received the ASCAP Golden Note Award.
West, 47, is a five-time Grammy nominee. He has released 15 albums, had cuts by such artists as Casting Crowns, Amy Grant, Scotty McCreery and Rascal Flatts, and penned six books. West’s Don’t Stop Praying Tour runs through November.
Trending on Billboard
Lake, 34, penned four most performed songs – “Fear Is Not My Future,” “Praise,” “Praise You Anywhere” and “Trust in God.” The five-time Grammy-winner recently released For the One: A Tour Documentary with Phil Wickham and is currently on his Tear Off the Roof Tour. He leads this year’s Dove Awards nominations with 16 nods, including artist of the year. Lake was ASCAP Christian music songwriter of the year in 2023.
“Thank God I Do,” co-written by Nate Ruess and published by Bearvon Music and Warner Chappell Music, won Christian music song of the year. The song was Lauren Daigle’s sixth No. 1 hit on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart, holding the top spot for 20 weeks. Ruess was the 2015 recipient of the Hal David Starlight Award given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame, is a two-time Grammy winner as a member of the pop trio fun., and has had cuts by such artists as Keith Urban, P!nk, Halsey, Kesha, Maroon 5 and Ellie Goulding.
Essential Music Publishing won Christian music publisher of the year. Their most-played songs of the past year are “Any More,” “Don’t Stop Praying,” “Fear Is Not My Future,” “Never,” “Rescue,” “Running Home,” “Praise,” “Praise You Anywhere,” “Somebody to You,” “Strong,” “These Days” and “Trust in God.” Essential Music Publishing vp Jamie Rodgers accepted the award.
The event was hosted by ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews, chairman of the board and president Paul Williams, vp of Nashville membership Mike Sistad and Nashville assistant vp, Strategic Services, Kele Currier. Ben Glover, a five-time ASCAP Christian music songwriter of the year, kicked off the event with a performance.
A complete list of ASCAP Christian Music Award winners is available at ASCAP’s website.
Kris Kristofferson, a Rhodes scholar with a deft writing style and rough charisma who became a country music superstar and A-list Hollywood actor, has died.
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Saturday (Sept. 28), spokeswoman Ebie McFarland said in an email. He was 88.
McFarland said Kristofferson died peacefully, surrounded by his family. No cause was given. He was 88.
Starting in the late 1960s, the Brownsville, Texas, native wrote such classics as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” “For the Good Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” Kristofferson was a singer himself, but many of his songs were best known as performed by others, whether Ray Price crooning “For the Good Times” or Janis Joplin belting out “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Trending on Billboard
He also starred opposite Ellen Burstyn in director Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, starred opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1976 A Star Is Born and acted alongside Wesley Snipes in Marvel’s Blade in 1998.
Kristofferson, who could recite William Blake from memory, wove intricate folk music lyrics about loneliness and tender romance into popular country music. With his long hair and bell-bottomed slacks and counterculture songs influenced by Bob Dylan, he represented a new breed of country songwriters along with such peers as Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tom T. Hall.
“There’s no better songwriter alive than Kris Kristofferson,” Nelson said during a November 2009 award ceremony for Kristofferson held by BMI. “Everything he writes is a standard and we’re all just going to have to live with that.”
Mary Ellen Mark
As an actor, he played the leading man opposite Barbara Streisand and Ellen Burstyn, but also had a fondness for shoot-out Westerns and cowboy dramas.
He was a Golden Gloves boxer and football player in college, received a master’s degree in English from Merton College at the University of Oxford in England and turned down an appointment to teach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, to pursue songwriting in Nashville. Hoping to break into the industry, he worked as a part-time janitor at Columbia Records’ Music Row studio in 1966 when Dylan recorded tracks for the seminal Blonde on Blonde double album.
At times, the legend of Kristofferson was larger than real life. Cash liked to tell a mostly exaggerated story of how Kristofferson, a former U.S. Army pilot, landed a helicopter on Cash’s lawn to give him a tape of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” with a beer in one hand. Over the years in interviews, Kristofferson said that with all respect to Cash, while he did land a helicopter at Cash’s house, the Man in Black wasn’t even home at the time, the demo tape was a song that no one ever actually cut — and he certainly couldn’t fly a helicopter holding a beer.
In a 2006 interview with The Associated Press, he said he might not have had a career without Cash.
“Shaking his hand when I was still in the Army backstage at the Grand Ole Opry was the moment I’d decided I’d come back,” Kristofferson said. “It was electric. He kind of took me under his wing before he cut any of my songs. He cut my first record that was record of the year. He put me on stage the first time.”
One of his most recorded songs, “Me and Bobby McGee,” was written based on a recommendation from Monument Records founder Fred Foster. Foster had a song title in his head called “Me and Bobby McKee,” named after a female secretary in his building. Kristofferson said in an interview in the magazine, Performing Songwriter that he was inspired to write the lyrics about a man and woman on the road together after watching the Frederico Fellini film La Strada.
Joplin, who had a close relationship with Kristofferson, changed the lyrics to make Bobby McGee a man and cut her version just days before she died in 1970 from a drug overdose. The recording became a posthumous No. 1 hit for Joplin.
Hits that Kristofferson recorded include “Why Me,” “Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do),” “Watch Closely Now,” “Desperados Waiting for a Train,” “A Song I’d Like to Sing” and “Jesus Was a Capricorn.”
In 1973, he married fellow songwriter Rita Coolidge and together they had a successful duet career that earned them two Grammy awards. They divorced in 1980.
He retired from performing and recording in 2021, making only occasional guest appearances on stage.
Congratulations are in order for Frances Bean Cobain and her husband, Riley Hawk, who have welcomed their first child together.
The daughter of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain revealed through Instagram on Saturday (Sept. 28) that she and the son of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk are now proud parents to a baby boy.
“Ronin Walker Cobain Hawk,” Frances, 32, captioned adorable black-and-white photos of the newborn, revealing he was born on Sept. 17. “Welcome to the world most beautiful son. We love you more than anything.”
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
In the first photo, the tiny baby is seen holding his mother’s hand, while another shows proud dad Riley, 31, cradling his son in a soft blanket.
Trending on Billboard
The couple’s friends and family flooded the comments section of France’s post, sharing messages of well-wishes and congratulations. New grandfather Tony Hawk joked, “My favorite grandson!” and Harper Grohl, the daughter of the Kurt’s former bandmate Dave Grohl, replied with heart and teary-eyed emojis.
The comments section also included touching notes from famous musicians, including R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer, among others.
“With all the love and energy in the whole world,” commented Stipe, who is France’s godfather. Gordon added, “Huge congratulations!” And Palmer wrote, Oh my god!!! MAZEL TOV to all of you and everyone over there. I am so incredible happy to see this universe-stitching news. All the love to you.”
Frances and Riley’s romance was first revealed through social media in 2022, and the couple married about a year later in an intimate ceremony officiated by R.E.M.’s Stipe.
See France Bean Cobain’s baby announcement on Instagram here.
Future notches his 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart — and third in 2024 — as Mixtape Pluto debuts atop the list dated Oct. 5. The long-teased set’s Sept. 20 release date was announced on Sept. 11. Mixtape Pluto earned 129,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Sept. 26, according to Luminate, largely driven by streaming activity.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Future scored two No. 1s earlier in 2024 with his two co-billed sets with Metro Boomin: We Don’t Trust You (a debut atop the April 6 chart) and We Still Don’t Trust You (also debuting at No. 1, April 27). The last act to notch three new No. 1 albums faster than Future — who has earned his three latest in a span of just six months — was the Glee Cast, which notched three chart-topping soundtracks in less than two months in 2010. If one discounted the Glee titles, as they were soundtracks and not traditional artist-driven albums, the last act to notch three new No. 1s as fast as Future was The Beatles in 1965-66. The Fab Four collected its fifth, sixth and seventh No. 1 albums also in a span of six months, as Beatles VI hit No. 1 on the July 10, 1965 chart, followed by the Help! soundtrack on Sept. 11 and then Rubber Soul on Jan. 8, 1966. (Since the Billboard 200 began publishing on a regular, weekly basis in March of 1956, no other solo artist has accumulated three new No. 1s as fast as Future.)
Trending on Billboard
With an 11th No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Future ties Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand and Ye (formerly Kanye West) for the fifth-most No. 1s on the Billboard 200, dating to March 1956. Ahead of them are The Beatles (a record 19 No. 1s), Jay-Z and Taylor Swift (each with 14) and Drake (13).
Also in the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 chart, Chappell Roan scores her best week yet in terms of units and album sales, as The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess returns to its peak of No. 2 in the wake of promotion surrounding its first anniversary. Plus, Katy Perry lands her sixth top 10 with the arrival of 143, and Lil Tecca nabs his fourth top 10-charting set with the debut of Plan A.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Oct. 5, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Oct. 1). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of Mixtape Pluto’s first-week equivalent album units of 129,000, SEA units comprise 118,500 (equaling 156.62 million on-demand official streams of the 17 songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums), album sales comprise 10,000 and TEA units comprise 500. The album was available to purchase either as a standard 11-song album (via download, CD and vinyl) or as an expanded 17-song album (download).
Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess rises 3-2 on the Billboard 200 for a third nonconsecutive week at its peak position. The set earned 105,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week (up 64%) — it’s biggest week yet by units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise a career weekly-best 56,000 (up 328%; it’s also the top-selling album of the week, reaching No. 1 on Top Album Sales for the first time). The week-over-week growth is owed to the release of four new vinyl variants and a cassette tape in celebration of the album’s first anniversary on Sept. 22. Of the album’s sales, vinyl comprises 50,000 — easily Roan’s best week on vinyl and the sixth-largest week for any vinyl album in 2024.
Sabrina Carpenter’s former No. 1 Short n’ Sweet slips 2-3 on the Billboard 200 with 100,000 equivalent album units earned (down 7%); Post Malone’s chart-topping F-1 Trillion is a non-mover at No. 4 (53,000; down 12%), and Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time is steady at No. 5 (53,000; up 2%).
Katy Perry lands her sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as her new studio album 143 debuts at No. 6. The set earned 48,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week ending Sept. 26. Of that sum, album sales comprise 37,500 (her best sales week since 2017), SEA units comprise 10,000 (equaling 13.11 million streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprise 500. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across eight vinyl variants (including a signed edition), four CD variants (including a signed edition), a cassette tape and multiple digital download variants (including two exclusive to her webstore, each with bonus tracks).
The album was preceded by a trio of songs, including its first single, “Woman’s World,’ which reached the top 30 on the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary radio charts.
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department falls 6-7 on the latest Billboard 200 (47,000 equivalent album units; down 9%), while Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is steady at No. 8 (45,000; up 2%).
Lil Tecca captures his fourth top 10-charting set on the Billboard 200 as Plan A arrives at No. 9 with 42,000 equivalent album units earned — his biggest week by units since 2019. Of that sum, SEA units comprise 28,500 (equaling 40.45 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs), album sales comprise 13,500 (his best sales week ever) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The set’s sales were aided by its availability in two CD variants (including a signed edition) and multiple digital download variants (including three exclusive to the artist’s webstore, two of which included bonus tracks).
The album was preceded by a pair of charting songs on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: “Number 2” (peaking at No. 45) and “Bad Time” (No. 25).
Closing out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 is Noah Kahan’s Stick Season, falling 9-10 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned (down 1%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
Brat summer isn’t over just yet.
During the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 28, cast member Bowen Yang hilariously portrayed British pop star Charli XCX in a political-themed talk show featuring her current tourmate Troye Sivan (played by SNL‘s Sarah Sherman) as the DJ.
The nearly five-minute sketch opened with Yang’s Charli introducing her Talk Talk Show, a nod to one of the singer’s song titles, and moving into a segment called “brat or nat,” in which she ran through a handful of recent news topics, including Hunter Biden’s laptop (deemed “brat”) and Mark Robinson’s search history (“nat”).
Yang’s Charli — who sported a black wig, dark sunglasses and stylish dress — then welcomed her guests: club legend Susanne Bartsch (played by SNL host Jean Smart), CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins (Chloe Fineman) and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (Ego Nwodim).
“Have you ever done ketamine?” Yang’s Charli asked to Fineman’s Collins, who responded with frustration over not being asked current political events.
Trending on Billboard
The talk show’s background was appropriately colored the same lime green as the cover of Charli XCX’s latest album, Brat, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in late June. The singer is currently on the road with her Sweat Tour, which visits U.S. arenas through the end of October.
Saturday’s SNL season premiere also featured musical guest Jelly Roll, making his debut on the long-running NBC sketch comedy show. The country star performed “Liar” and “Winning Streak,” which will appear on his upcoming album, Beautifully Broken, set for release on Oct. 11.
The next SNL on Oct. 5 will see comedian Nate Bargatze returning as host for a second straight season with Coldplay back as musical guest for an eighth time on the long-running show. The Chris Martin-fronted band first performed on the show in 2001, and their most recent appearance was in 2023.
Watch SNL‘s “Charli XCX Talk Show” sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.
Doja Cat delivered a powerful message at this year’s Global Citizen Festival.
During her headlining set on Saturday (Sept. 28), the superstar rapper paused to speak out against injustices happening around the world.
“Right now, millions of men, women and children in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Congo and all across the world, are suffering. In times like this, it is important to remember that we have the power to bring change, love light and hope to those who need it most,” Doja told the crow gathered on the Great Lawn in New York’s Central Park.
“I join forces with Global Citizen to help people in areas of conflict and crisis, and I know so many of you join me in taking action to earn your tickets to be here tonight. But we can’t stop now,” she continued. “Please keep using your voice to help those fleeing violence get the food, shelter and education they need and very, very much deserve. There is a beauty in strength in all of you who are watching this, and who choose to be here tonight. This is our time to put it into what matters most, and that is life.”
During her Global Citizen Fest set, Doja also subtly addressed rumors that she got engaged to actor Joseph Quinn. While performing her Billboard Hot 100 chart hit “Agora Hills,” she is seeing saying, “I’m not married,” as the microphone is lowered. Last week, the “Paint the Town Red” rapper flashed a ring on her left hand while performing at Las Vegas’ iHeartRadio Music Festival, leaving many fans wondering if she got engaged to the Stranger Things actor. “no, im not engaged its a David Yurman ring with no rocks in it,” she later wrote and deleted on X (formerly Twitter).
The festival, hosted by Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman, also featured performances by co-headliners Post Malone, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro. Global Citizen is the world’s leading organization seeking to end extreme poverty. Similar to past years, the fest once again offered fans free tickets, which were earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app or on the organization’s site here in an effort to defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity.
Trending on Billboard
In addition to live performances, Saturday’s concert also included appearances from UN Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall Institute founder and legendary primatologist Jane Goodall, and Coldplay singer Chris Martin, who served as the event’s curator.
Jelly Roll brought a pair of new tracks during his musical guest debut on the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live. The 39-year-old country singer and rapper brought positive energy to Studio 8H on Sept. 28, performing new songs “Liar” and “Winning Streak,” both of which will appear on his upcoming album, Beautifully Broken, […]
LISA got on the floor to premiere a song called “Moonlit Floor” at Global Citizen Festival 2024 in New York City’s Central Park on Saturday night (Sept. 28). The BLACKPINK singer debuted her latest solo track ahead of its official release, set for Oct. 3, and clips from Global Citizen Fest’s livestream soon popped up […]
One day after Chappell Roan announced she was pulling out of 2024’s All Things Go Festival to “prioritize [her] health,” MUNA paid tribute to the Midwest princess during their set at the music fest on Saturday (Sept. 28) night.
“We acknowledge that somebody very special is missing tonight,” said Katie Gavin, the band’s singer, from the stage at the Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. “We just want to say that we love Chappell so much. We started as a queer band in 2014, and we’ve really been given the time and the grace that we needed to be nourished as artists. We wish nothing but that times a million for her.”
Roan, who had been scheduled to play All Things Go NYC on Saturday and All Things Go D.C. on Sunday, explained she was feeling “overwhelmed” in a statement on Friday (Sept. 27) and would be canceling her All Things Go appearances to focus on her health. Prior to the cancelation, Roan had received flak from some fans and pundits for refusing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president, though Roan explained she would be voting for Harris in the 2024 election.
The rock band – made up of Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson – went one step further than just talking about Roan, too, performing a “tribute” to the pop supernova that they pulled together at the last minute. Guitars in hand, the trio delivered a gorgeous, stripped-down cover of Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”, which currently sits at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to MUNA’s set, a coterie of drag performers (including RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Yvie Oddly and NYC queen Beaujangless) led the crowd through a joyous Chappell Roan dance party during what would have been her time slot.
Roan wasn’t the only one MUNA dedicated a song to. Prior to “Kind of Girl” from their self-titled 2022 album, Gavin said, “We’re gonna dedicate this song to all the trans cuties that are here with us tonight.” Nor was it their only cover, with MUNA leading the Forest Hills Stadium in a sing-along to Vanessa Carlton’s 2002 smash “A Thousand Miles.”
Near the end of their set, MUNA got explicitly political, with Gavin reading a pre-written statement.
“We are staunchly against the American far-right, and we’re terrified of the way that an anti-queer and anti-trans attitude has manifested itself in our current political climate,” Gavin said. “On top of this, we want abolition. We want the wellbeing of people and animals and land to be prioritized over the wellbeing of the global market. And we want total disarmament and world peace now. And there should be nothing f–king controversial about saying that.”
As her bandmates nodded and the crowd cheered, Gavin continued. “We want to say ‘f—k fascism’ and very importantly we continue to say, ‘Free free Palestine.’” Gavin then started a brief “free free Palestine” chant that some of the crowd participated in.
Gavin’s comments dovetail with what Roan said in a TikTok video that posted on Wednesday (Sept. 25). “Obviously, f–k the policies of the right — but also, f–k some of the policies on the left. That’s why I can’t endorse. There is no way I can stand behind some of the left’s completely transphobic and completely genocidal views,” Roan said. “F–k Trump, for f–king real, but f–k some of the s–t that has gone down in the Democratic Party that has failed people like me and you, and more so Palestine, and more so every marginalized community in the world.”
MUNA’s comments arrive almost a year after a terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, including around 360 people killed at the Nova Music Festival, according to officials. During the attack, more than 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas, with around 117 of them being returned and eight freed by Israeli troops since then. The bodies of 37 hostages have been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by Israeli troops. Israel’s retaliatory military strikes in Gaza have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, including more than 10,000 children, according to health officials in the territory. More than one million people have been displaced, leading to widespread famine and an ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Elsewhere in New York City on Saturday night, Doja Cat also addressed the ongoing wars from the stage at Global Citizen Festival in Manhattan’s Central Park. “Right now, millions of men, women and children in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Congo and all across the world are suffering. In times like this, it is important to remember that together we have the power to bring change, love, light and hope to those that need it most,” the rapper said. “Please keep using your voice to help those fleeing violence get the food, shelter and education they need and deserve.”