State Champ Radio Music
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35 years after Indigo Girls won a Grammy for best contemporary folk recording for their eponymous debut album, the duo will receive a lifetime achievement award at The International Folk Music Awards. The awards show will take place in Montreal on Feb. 19, the first night of the Folk Alliance International (FAI) Conference.
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The duo, consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, received a second Grammy nod 35 years ago – best new artist. They lost to a flashier duo, Milli Vanilli, whose award was later revoked on the grounds that they didn’t perform on their album, a charge never leveled against Indigo Girls, who went on to receive five more nods for best contemporary folk recording.
Lifetime achievement awards will also be granted to Lesley Riddle, the African-American musician who gathered songs for the Carter Family with patriarch A.P. Carter and taught Mother Maybelle Carter guitar techniques; and Songlines magazine which is celebrating 25 years of covering global roots music.
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Flamy Grant, Sarah Jarosz, Kaïa Kater, Nick Lowe, Crys Matthews and Allison Russell are competing for artist of the year. Kater is also in the running for album of the year for Strange Medicine, which features guest spots by Allison Russell, Aoife O’Donovan, and Taj Mahal.
Two of the other album of the year nominees, Aoife O’Donovan’s All My Friends and Sierra Ferrell’s Trail of Flowers, are current Grammy nominees. All My Friends is nominated for best folk album; Trail of Flowers for best Americana album. All My Friends was inspired by the passage of the 19th amendment and the evolving landscape of women’s rights in America over the past century.
New recordings released between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024 were eligible in the best-of-the-year categories (song, album, and artist).
The People’s Voice Award, which is presented to an individual who unabashedly embraces social and political commentary in their creative work and public careers, will be presented to Gina Chavez.
OKAN, the women-led, Afro-Cuban roots and jazz duo, will be honored with The Rising Tide Award.
The Spirit of Folk Awards will be presented to: Tom Power, Canadian musician and broadcaster, best known as the host of *Q* on CBC Radio One and a member of the folk band, The Dardanelles; Alice Randall, a songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash (among others) and founder of production company Midsummer Music; longtime Folk Alliance Region Midwest pillar Annie Capps; and Quebec’s Innu Nikamu festival, which has exemplified commitment to the promotion and preservation of Indigenous culture for more than 30 years.
The Clearwater Award is presented to a festival that prioritizes environmental stewardship and demonstrates public leadership in sustainable event production. This year’s award will go to the River Roads Festival in Easthampton, MA.
The Awards take place on the first night of FAI’s 37th annual conference, which takes place February 19-23, 2025. The conference will be held at Montreal’s Queen Elizabeth Hotel, site of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous 1969 Bed-In for Peace. All conference attendees will have access to attend the IFMAs.
Here are the nominations in the three “Best of 2024” categories plus this year’s special award winners.
Artist of the Year
Flamy GrantSarah JaroszKaïa KaterNick LoweCrys MatthewsAllison Russell
Album of the Year
Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers (Rounder Records)The Heart Collectors, The Space Between (Spins the Gold Records)Kaïa Kater, Strange Medicine (Free Dirt Records)Aoife O’Donovan, All My Friends (Yep Roc Records)Ordinary Elephant – Ordinary Elephant (Berkalin Records)Susan Werner, Halfway to Houston (self-released)
Song of the Year
“Tenzin Sings with Nightingales,” written by Tenzin Choegyal, performed by Tenzin Choegyal and Michael Askill“How I Long for Peace,” written by Abena Koomson-Davis, Peggy Seeger, Rhiannon Giddens, performed by Rhiannon Giddens, Crys Matthews, and the Resistance Revival Chorus“Woman Who Pays,” written and performed Connie Kaldor“$20 Bill (for George Floyd),” written by Tom Prasada-Rao, performed by Dan Navarro & Janiva Magness“Ukrainian Now,” written and performed by Tom Paxton & John McCutcheon“Love Letters,” written by Julian Taylor, Tyler James Ellis, performed by Julian Taylor
Lifetime Achievement Award – Living: Indigo Girls
Lifetime Achievement Award – Legacy: Leslie Riddle
Lifetime Achievement Award – Business: Songlines Magazine
People’s Voice: Gina Chavez
Rising Tide: OKAN
Clearwater Award: River Roads Festival (Easthampton, Mass.)
Spirit of Folk: Tom Powers, Alice Randall, Annie Capps, Innu Nikamu festival
Folk Radio DJ Hall of Fame Inductees: Archie Fisher (BBC Scotland), Mary Sue Twohy (SIRIUS XM), Taylor Caffrey (WRKF-FM, Baton Rouge, La.), Matthew Finch (posthumous, KUNM-FM, Albuquerque, N.M.), Chuck Wentworth (posthumous, WRIU-FM, Rhode Island)
Will Smith appears to be ramping up his return to music with the announcement of a summer 2025 set at France’s Positiv Festival next summer. The Bad Boys actor will mark his first-ever concert in France on July 31 when he takes the stage at the Roman Theatre of Orange.
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According to an announcement from the festival, the Oscar and Grammy-winning star will play a set of hits, including “Men in Black,” “Miami” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” among others. “A unique performance that will bring together more generations of fans of Will Smith’s inimitable energy!,” read the post.
Smith has not released a studio album since 2005, when he dropped his fourth full-length solo LP, Lost and Found, which topped out at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. After launching his movie career in the early 1990s, Smith has mostly focused on acting, most recently appearing in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. He won an Oscar for his work in the biographical tennis drama King Richard in 2022, collecting the hardware after he stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke referencing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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The actor eventually apologized for the incident and resigned from the Motional Picture Academy — which meant he can no longer vote for the Oscars, but can sill be nominated — followed by the organization announcing that he will be banned from the Oscars for the next decade.
Smith has been teasing a return to music, including recently dropping a new single, “Work of Art,” which features his son, Jaden Smith, as well as rapper Russ. In April, Smith made a surprise cameo during J. Balvin’s Coachella set, followed by the live debut of his gospel-tinged song “You Can Make It” at June’s BET Awards.
Earlier this year, Smith first discussed his upcoming album — tentatively titled Dance in Your Darkest Moments — saying, “Over the past year and a half, I’ve been in the studio. I have a project that is the most personal and powerful music project I’ve ever done. The idea of the music is, ‘Dance in your darkest moments.’” In July, Smith, who released his first three albums on Columbia Records and Lost and Found on Interscope, signed to Slang Music Group, home to Big Sean, Mira Black, Niki Lynette, Savvy & Mandy and Syleena Johnson.
Check out Positiv’s Smith announcement below.
With 2024 coming to an end, Apple Music and Shazam are looking back on a great year in music. Apple Music released its year-end charts on Tuesday (Dec. 3), with Kendrick Lamar coming in at No. 1 on the Top Songs of 2024: Global list with “Not Like Us.” Coming in at second place is […]
Britney Spears celebrated her 43rd birthday on Monday (Dec. 2), the same day a California court declared her officially single. According to People, the declaration came seven months after her divorce from ex-husband Sam Asghari was finalized in Los Angeles.
Spears and actor/model Asghari, 30, separated in July 2023, 13 months after their wedding and six years after they first began dating; Asghari filed for divorce in August 2023 citing irreconcilable differences.
Back in October, thrice-wed Spears celebrated that time she “married” herself in a throwback video that appeared to be similar to one from 2022, in which she wrote, “The day I married myself … Bringing it back because it might seem embarrassing or stupid, but I think it’s the most brilliant thing I’ve ever done !!!”
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Spears was also briefly married to childhood friend Jason Alexander in 2004 before tying the knot with dancer Kevin Federline that same year; she and Federline had two sons, Sean Preston, 19 and Jayden James, 18 before breaking up in 2007. In 2022, the singer married actor/personal trainer Asghari, with whom she split less than two years later.
While Spears did not address her new state-sanctioned singledom on her socials, she did post a video on Instagram in which she lashed out at one of her persistent tormentors: the paparazzi. “It really hurts my feelings that the paparazzi make my face look like I’m wearing a white Jason mask,” Spears said in the birthday selfie video post in which she referred to the iconic white hockey mask worn by teen terrorizer Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13th horror movie series.
“It doesn’t even look like me. They’ve always been incredibly cruel to me,” she added. “The way they’ve illustrated me to be. Some of it I know I’m not perfect at all by any means, but some of it is extremely mean and cruel and that’s why I’ve moved to Mexico.” While Spears has often vacationed in Mexico, the clip appeared to be the first time she mentioned moving to the country.
In an earlier video, Spears again lashed the paps for how they make her look and noted that she is not, in fact turning 42 (as noted above, she turned 43 on Monday), but instead said “I’m turning five… I’m turning five-years-old. I have to go to kindergarten tomorrow.” It was unclear at press time what the latter comment was referring to.
Watch Spears’ videos below.
Days before Super Bowl LIX, which will take over New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Feb. 9, Bud Light will start the weekend right with an intimate show from a massive star. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Friday, Feb. 7, Post Malone will perform at […]
Jonathan Groff has endeared himself to huge audiences playing some of the most beloved (and different) roles in modern musical theater: breaking hearts as the original Melchior in Spring Awakening; cracking up as King George in Hamilton; and most recently turning in his most complex performance yet as Franklin Shepard in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, for which he won his first Tony award.
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Now, Groff is adding to that diverse resume of roles with perhaps the most unexpected of all. In the new musical Just in Time, he’ll play Bobby Darin, the iconic crooner known for his renditions of songs like “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Mack the Knife.” Developed and directed by Alex Timbers, the show features Groff anchoring a cast of 16 in one of Broadway‘s most unique and intimate theaters, the Circle in the Square. Previews begin March 28, 2025 in advance of an April 23 opening — but you can hear Groff singing as Darin for the first time here, as Billboard premieres his recordings of “Beyond the Sea,” “Dream Lover” and “Just in Time.”
As Groff tells Billboard, his preparation process for the role began seven years ago, when he was researching the singer while putting together a concert of his music for the 92nd St. Y in New York. “We’ve been developing this musical about his life ever since then,” Groff says. “Bobby Darin was the consummate performer. And he was way ahead of his time. He had this chameleon ability to jump styles and genres way before it became popular for pop artists to do that. Having this opportunity to play him, I get to push myself to places I’ve never gone before as a singer or performer. My heart races just thinking about it.”
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Timbers — who won a Tony for his direction of Moulin Rouge! The Musical and has brought his vision to shows ranging from Here Lies Love to The Pee-wee Herman Show — calls Darin “a singular talent whose music lives on today,” but notes that “what was so memorable to the people who knew him was his connection with an audience.” With Just in Time, “We’re doing everything we can to try to transform our Broadway theater to evoke a 1960s club,” he tells Billboard, “and allow our audience to experience what it was like to be in a room, up close, with one of that generation’s most electric performers.”
Just in Time features a book by Tony-winner Warren Leight (Side Man) and Isaac Oliver (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel); music supervision and arrangements by Andrew Resnick (Parade); choreography by Shannon Lewis; and is based on an original concept by Ted Chapin. Along with Groff, the cast includes Joe Barbara (A Bronx Tale The Musical), Tony-winner Michele Pawk (Wicked), Lance Roberts (The Music Man), Caesar Samayoa (Come From Away), Christine Cornish (Kiss Me, Kate), Julia Grondin (Funny Girl), Valeria Yamin (Moulin Rouge!), John Treacy Egan (My Fair Lady), Tari Kelly (Mr. Saturday Night), Matthew Guy Magnusson, Khori Michelle Petinaud (Lempicka), and Larkin Reilly (Bad Cinderella).
The Goo Goo Dolls apologized to fans on Tuesday (Dec. 3) after announcing that they’ve been forced to cancel a planned run of headlining shows in South Africa after singer John Rzeznik was hospitalized with pneumonia. “We’re heartbroken to postpone our South Africa shows. This country means so much to us, and we were so […]
Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” is leading the way for No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart midweek update (Dec. 2), following the release of its 2024 Ultimate Mix.
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Released to mark Band Aid’s 40th anniversary, the new version was produced by Trevor Horn [Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys] and features vocalists from the 1984 original, 2004’s Band Aid 20, and 2014’s Band Aid 30. All three versions have topped the charts in the U.K., as did 1989’s Band Aid II.
Over the past few decades, the charity single has raised over £140 million ($178 million) for the Band Aid Charitable Trust, which seeks to benefit causes such as poverty in Africa. It was written by Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure following a BBC report into famine in Ethiopia, and has since become one of the U.K.’s best-selling singles of all-time.
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All three previous incarnations of the song contribute to the Ultimate Mix, which features a wealth of artists including George Michael, Sting, Chris Martin, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, One Direction, Bono and Sinead O’Connor, among others.
The push for the top spot follows the release of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” on physical formats this past Friday (Nov. 29), with proceeds benefitting the Band Aid Charitable Trust. The CD and vinyl variants also feature the original, 20th and 30th anniversary editions and 1985’s Live Aid version from Wembley Stadium.
The song and music video’s depiction of Africa, however, has drawn criticism over the years.
Following his decision to turn down featuring on the 2014 version of Band Aid, earlier today (Dec. 3), British-Ghanian Afrobeats artist Fuse ODG further clarified his stance via The Guardian. “While the British public’s generosity in 1984 was genuine, and the aim of Band Aid was to address a specific humanitarian crisis, the way it depicted Africa did more long-term harm than good,” he wrote. “It inadvertently contributed to a broader identity crisis for Africans, portraying the entire continent as one monolithic, war-torn, starving place.” Ed Sheeran previously said that Band Aid were using his vocals without permission and that he otherwise would have declined to be involved again.
Elsewhere, Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” – which has remained at the summit for the past four weeks – stands at No.2, followed closely by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT” at No. 3. “Defying Gravity” by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the emotional centerpiece of the recent Wicked soundtrack, comes in at No. 6.
A festive theme continues throughout the Top 10, with three more Yuletide hits heading towards the top of the chart. Wham!’s “Last Christmas” is on track for its first Top 5 appearance of 2024 at No. 5, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas” appears at No. 7, and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at No. 9.
Portsmouth’s Victoria Festival has shared their massive festival lineup for 2025, with headliners including Queens of The Stone Age, Vampire Weekend and Kings of Leon. The festival will take place on the Southsea seafront on Aug 22-24, 2025 and will be the 13th edition of the event which began in 2011. Previous headliners include Mumford […]
BBC Radio 6 Music Festival will return next spring, having found a permanent home in Greater Manchester.
Scheduled to take place between March 26-29, 2025, the four-day event is set to bring a mix of live performances and DJ sets to venues across the region. The news was announced live on air this morning (Dec. 3) by broadcaster Nick Grimshaw, who is currently covering the 6 Music breakfast show while regular host Lauren Laverne is recovering following treatment for cancer. Laverne is due to return to the show in the new year.
Throughout the festival, the 6 Music team will be broadcasting live from MediaCity U.K. in Salford. Current presenters include Iggy Pop, Huw Stephens, Mary Anne Hobbs and former London night czar Amy Lamé.
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The 6 Music Festival is the station’s flagship event, and is aired across a number of BBC radio, television, and online channels. Since 2023, it has taken place in Greater Manchester, while previous iterations of the festival were hosted in different cities annually across the U.K. including Cardiff, London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Newcastle.
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In a press release, Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music said: “We’re really proud that our festival brings listeners truly unique performances from the artists they love, alongside a celebration of the fantastic acts that are emerging from Greater Manchester – and 2025 will be no different. We’re so looking forward to bringing the whole station to Greater Manchester again and for four days of incredible live music.”
The line-up for the 2025 edition of the 6 Music Festival will be announced in February. The 2024 event saw performances from headliners Young Fathers, Gossip, and The Smile, while the likes of CMAT and Hak Baker also made appearances across the weekend.
In January 2014, the BBC launched the 6 Music Festival in Manchester with headliner Damon Albarn. In the years that have followed, the event has seen sets from world-renowned acts including Depeche Mode, Fontaines D.C., Father John Misty and Neneh Cherry.
