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Berlin-based music company BMG reported on Monday (March 31) that it generated 963 million euros ($1 billion USD) in revenue over the course of 2024, marking a 6.4% increase from the year-ago period, thanks to a double-digit jump in digital income streams a strong slate of major releases. The performance amounted to 8.1% in organic growth, the company said.

Digital revenue, which now accounts for 68% of BMG’s overall revenue, rose 16% in 2024, as BMG continues to see the fruits of moving oversight of its digital distribution business from WMG’s ADA to in-house in late 2023.

Operating earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) adjusted — BMG’s preferred metric for profit — rose 37% to 264 million euros ($274.2 million, based on the foreign exchange rate as of Dec. 31, 2024) compared to last year’s 194 million euros ($214 million, based on 2023’s year-end exchange rate).

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BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld credited the “BMG Next” strategy — a localized yet globally scalable approach — for being pivotal in the company’s success in 2024,  highlighting improvements in go-to-market strategies, digital distribution catalog acquisitions and technology. The company made significant changes to its global distribution strategy, including direct licensing agreements with Spotify and Apple Music and transitioning physical distribution management to Universal Music Group. BMG also invested around half a billion euros in catalog acquisitions — it counts 24 for the year — and signings, strengthening its rights portfolio through investment initiatives. 

“Our BMG Next strategy has been instrumental in driving a successful 2024 with a step-change performance in a fast-evolving music market,” he said. “Building on the strong performance of our artists and songwriters, ongoing go-to-market improvements, such as insourcing digital distribution, and continued high investment into our people, catalog acquisitions and technology development, we achieved an incredible 2024.”

Notable successes in the recorded music sector included releases from George Harrison, Kylie Minogue, Bryan Ferry, Lainey Wilson, Sum 41, Travis, Crowded House, Rita Ora and others. The company signed new label deals with Blake Shelton, Mustard, YG, New Kids on the Block and K. Michelle, among others.

In music publishing, BMG songwriters such as Bruno Mars, D’Mile, Steve Miller, Trevor Horn, The-Dream, Roselilah and others achieved chart success, with contributions to major hits like Eminem’s “Houdini,” Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” and Mars and Lady Gaga’s Hot 100 chart-topper “Die With a Smile.” BMG also signed or extended publishing agreements with artists, including Carly Pearce, KT Tunstall and Tyron Hapi, among others, and secured publishing agreements with Tomorrowland Music and Cirque du Soleil.

The company’s catalog division saw continued growth, with Mötley Crüe’s remastered ripper from 1989, Dr. Feelgood, driving a 10% increase in global streams and Australian garage rockers Jet (“Are You Gonna Be My Girl”) achieving milestones on streaming while selling out anniversary shows. Sync licensing also played a crucial role, securing placements in advertisements, trailers and TV series for artists like Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez, George Harrison, Pitbull and Rita Ora.

Here are some of BMG’s 2024 highlights:

Operating EBITDA adjusted jumped 37% to 264 million euros ($274 million) from the previous year of 194 million euros ($214 million).

EBITDA margin was 28% compared to the previous year of 21.4%.

BMG said it made 24 catalog acquisitions in 2024, compared to 30 the year before.

One of Kurt Cobain‘s most iconic instruments is about to go on display for the first time in Europe. The Royal College of Music London announced that its “Kurt Cobain Unplugged” exhibit — which opens on June 3 and runs through Nov. 18 — will feature the late Nirvana singer’s rare Martin D-18E guitar, which […]

Five-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper Jordan Davis will hit the road again this year, when his 18-city, headlining 2025 Ain’t Enough Road Tour, produced by Live Nation, launches Sept. 11 at Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, Calif. As the “I Ain’t Sayin’” hitmaker prepares for the tour later this year, he says he’s feeling the pressure — in the best way.
“The most pressure I feel as a touring artist is when you announce that new tour and now it’s a blank slate,” Davis tells Billboard, noting his focus is on giving his best to find new ways of bringing his music and live shows to fans who have supported him since the beginning, from his 2018 debut album, Home State.

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“We’re so blessed with an amazing fanbase, truly, the people that have been to 30+ shows and who continue to come and see us and support us,” Davis says. “When I think of a new tour, that’s who I immediately go to, the day one fans. It’s like, ‘How do I do something that they haven’t seen?’ If I can do something that feels new and feels cool to a fan that’s been there from day one, I think I’m going to cover the wide range of fans we’ve picked up along the way.”

The Ain’t Enough Road Tour will make stops in Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York, St. Louis and more, before concluding Oct. 25 in Estero, Florida’s Hertz Arena. Davis will welcome “Hell Is a Dance Floor” hitmaker Vincent Mason as an opener. Also joining him is “Truth About You” hitmaker Mitchell Tenpenny, who previously opened for Davis on his 2024 Damn Good Time World Tour and joined Davis on Luke Combs’ recent stadium shows in Australia.

“Mitchell is a superstar,” Davis says, adding, “Vincent had ‘Hell is a Dance Floor,’ and I could not stop listening to that song. I saw he signed with Universal, where I’m signed and the second I saw that, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get this kid on tour.’ Mitchell and me have a good time and Vincent looks like he’s down to have a good time, too. It’s going to be some great music.”

It was one of those recent Australia shows with Combs and Tenpenny in Brisbane, Australia, that presented Davis with one of his most memorable onstage moments to date.

“There were storms coming in,” Davis recalls. “We were about three-quarters of the way through our show and I kept seeing the lightning getting closer. I thought, ‘I don’t know if we will be able to finish this [set] or not,’ and just then my drummer came through in our in-ears and was like, ‘We have to cut two songs.’ I always end ‘Buy Dirt’ with an a cappella piece. I finished ‘Buy Dirt’ and I’m standing out there like, ‘Ah, I can’t not do this.’ So, I just started singing it a cappella and about that time, it starts pouring rain. I’ve never heard a crowd get that loud in my life, singing every word. It was truly one of the most special moments I’ve had onstage.”

Starting with his 2018 Country Airplay chart-topper “Singles You Up,” Davis has become a radio chart mainstay thanks to songs including “What My World Spins Around” and “Tucson Too Late.” Two of his hit singles have earned song of the year accolades: ACM song of the year winner “Next Thing You Know” and CMA/NSAI song of the year winner “Buy Dirt.” Those songs helped spur his 2023 album Bluebird Days to platinum-selling status, and earlier this year, he notched the No. 2 Country Airplay hit “I Ain’t Sayin’.”

With his new song “Bar None,” he could potentially extend his chart-topping tally. Though Davis is often a co-writer on many of his hits, such as “Tucson Too Late” and “Buy Dirt,” his new song “Bar None” is an outside cut, written by Hunter Phelps, Lydia Vaughn and Ben Johns, with production by Paul DiGiovanni.

“I fell in love with it from the first time I listened to it,” Davis says. “The second you hear the hook, you want to be like, all right, I bet you they’re going to do this. This one surprised me. I didn’t really see it going here. I think about the line, ‘If moving on had a scoreboard it’d say, ‘You and your memory one/ Me and this bar none.’ It gave me a smile, like ‘Well done.’”

He adds, “I’ve always loved being able to kind of twist a hook. That’s one of my favorite things about songwriting, to take an idea and go somewhere completely different with it. It’s something that feels like a song I haven’t done from a production standpoint, even instrumentation-wise, with the banjo part [at the beginning].”

While his new single centers on a vain attempt at drowning heartbreak in a barroom, Davis’ time is devoted to his career and his family — both of which continue expanding as he keeps piling up hit songs, while he and his wife Kristen are expecting their fourth child. Davis says his growing family is looking at moving into a larger home.

Jordan Davis

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“That was actually the first thing, when my wife told me she was expecting, I was like, ‘Well, where are we going to put the nursery?’ So, we’ve started the search for a place with another bedroom.” Davis says they don’t know if the baby is a boy or girl yet, and notes, “We’re just going to wait and find out. We’ve got a girl [daughter Eloise, born in 2019] and two boys [Locklan, born in 2021, and Elijah, born in 2023], which means it’ll probably be another boy, which will increase the gray hairs on my head,” he says with a chuckle. “My boys want another brother, and my daughter really wants a sister.”

Even as he focuses on family and work, that doesn’t mean Davis doesn’t have a favorite Nashville bar he’ll visit on occasion.

“I think my buddy Luke [Bryan]’s got a good [bar] downtown with Luke’s 32 Bridge. My dad loves to come in town and go honky tonk. If he’s in town, we’ll go. That’s one of the few times I’ll hit up Broadway, and we usually always find ourselves at Luke’s.”

See the tour announcement video for the Jordan Davis Ain’t Enough Road Tour, featuring Peyton Manning and Jim Nantz, below:

Pre-sale tickets for the Ain’t Enough Road Tour will be available beginning Wednesday at 10 a.m. through Davis’s fanclub The Parish, while tickets for the tour go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. See the list of tour dates for the Jordan Davis: Ain’t Enough Road Tour below:

Sept. 11 – Greater Palm Springs, CA @ Acrisure ArenaSept. 12 – Concord, CA @ Toyota Pavilion at ConcordSept.18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek TheatreSept. 19 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial TheatreSept. 20 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta AmphitheaterSept. 26 – Independence, MO @ Cable Dahmer ArenaSept. 27 – St. Louis, MO @ Chaifetz ArenaOct. 2 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music HallOct. 3 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall at FenwayOct. 9 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank ArenaOct. 10 – Rosemont, IL @ Allstate ArenaOct. 11 – Milwaukee, WI @ BMO PavilionOct. 16 – Dayton, OH @ Wright State University Nutter CenterOct. 17 – Hershey, PA @ Giant CenterOct. 23 – Duluth, GA @ Gas South ArenaOct. 24 – Savannah, GA @ Enmarket ArenaOct. 25 – Estero, FL @ Hertz Arena

Unlike some other artists, Guster did not cancel their booked gig at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center in the wake of the prestigious venue’s MAGA makeover in which Donald Trump had himself appointed as chairman and filled the organization’s board with loyalists while vowing to fill the stage with “non-woke” musicals such as his favorite, Cats.
In fact, Guster did just the opposite. During their gig on Friday night (March 28), the band staged a subtle protest against the administration’s planned make-over — which has quickly resulted in more than two dozens shows and performers canceling scheduled gigs — by bringing out the cast of Finn, an LGBTQ+ musical whose performances were called off after the Trump revamp.

Finn is a children’s musical that opened to good reviews at the Kennedy Center last year, telling the story of a young shark who “wants to let his inner fish out.” According to a video of the performance , Guster invited out the cast of the musical with trans themes, with singer Ryan Miller explaining, “I have a friend named Michael who wrote the songs for a musical called Finn” in the midst of the band’s show with the National Symphony Orchestra.

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“In the before times they were booked to play here at the Kennedy Center. But as all of you know, things happened, and the show is no longer being presented here,” Miller continued. “As the new administration has made abundantly clear, Finn’s themes of inclusivity, love, and self-acceptance aren’t going to be welcome in this building while they are in control. So tonight our band is here to say our stage is your stage. We are your allies, we stand with the LGBTQ community, and we want you to sing with us. Please welcome the cast of Finn and composer Michael Kooman.”

The six singers from the cast received a prolonged, raucous standing ovation before the performance of Guster’s “Hard Times” and then again after.

Following Finn‘s cancellation at the Kennedy Center — which the venue said at the time was a “purely financial decision” — the show was performed by a cast of Broadway stars for a one-night-only livestream at New York’s Town Hall earlier this month, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for The Trevor Project. Among the stars who participated in the special event were: Andrew Rannells, Bonnie Milligan, Nikki M James, Kelli o’Hara, Lea Salonga, Michael Urie, Peppermint, Brenda Braxton and more.

To date, more than two dozen events have been canceled by the artists or postponed at the Kennedy Center following the Trump revamp, including shows by Issa Rae, a production of Hamilton, the National Youth Poet Laureate event, Blacks in Wax, as well as shows by Low Cut Connie and Amanda Rheaume, a book event with J. Geils Band singer Peter Wolf and many more.

Morgan Wallen‘s hasty retreat from the stage at Saturday Night Live over the weekend during the traditional credits roll lovefest raised a lot of eyebrows. After performing two songs as the musical guest on the episode hosted by Oscar-winning Anora star Mikey Madison, Wallen whispered something into the actress’ ear and then abruptly walked off […]

Dua Lipa wrapped the Australian leg of her Radical Optimism world tour on March 29 with one last surprise for Sydney fans: a stripped-back duet of “Big Jet Plane” alongside Angus Stone. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The crowd at Qudos Bank Arena joined in on […]

Over 20 country artists have signed an open letter calling on U.S. Congress to continue funding PEPFAR — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief — and help bring an end to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030.

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The letter, drafted by the ONE Campaign and The 2030 Collaborative, was published in the Nashville Tennessean this week and features signatures from major names across country and Americana, including Brad Paisley, Maren Morris, Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker, LeAnn Rimes, and members of Little Big Town — Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook.

“America, did you know that you have led the world in saving the lives of 26 million people from HIV/AIDS around the world?” the letter begins. “That’s thanks to a program called PEPFAR.”

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Launched in 2003 under President George W. Bush, PEPFAR is credited with drastically reducing global deaths from HIV/AIDS. The bipartisan initiative has provided antiretroviral medications to more than 20 million people globally, making it one of the most successful U.S. foreign aid programs in history.

But with recent political shifts, the future of PEPFAR’s funding hangs in the balance.

“If Congress decides to cut funding for PEPFAR, people will not receive their medication. The virus will rebound. Infections will multiply. Millions will die,” the artists write. “And, the epidemic will grow exponentially worldwide — including a potential explosion in our own backyards.”

The letter emphasizes both the humanitarian and strategic importance of continued investment in the program: “This isn’t just the smart thing to do — for national security, economic, and public health reasons — this is the right thing to do.”

Also lending support is Dr. Bill Frist, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and a Middle Tennessee resident who played a key role in passing PEPFAR legislation.

“PEPFAR is the ultimate example of American exceptionalism and compassion,” he said in a statement. “If we back away from this historic, bipartisan commitment to those less fortunate, we are ceding ground to China… and we are turning our back on a successful diplomatic strategy that has fostered unlikely allies, stabilized nations, and strengthened our place in the world.”

Fans and advocates are encouraged to visit ONE.org to send letters of their own to Congress.

Other artists who signed the letter include Brandy Clark, Brittney Spencer, Cam, Cassadee Pope, Drew and Ellie Holcomb, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, and Mickey Guyton.

There was an unmistakable current of Canadian nationalism running through the 2025 Juno Awards, which aired live on CBC from Vancouver’s Rogers Arena on Sunday (March 30).
The awards gala – and its night-before invite-only gala where most of the awards are given out – is always a chance for the music industry to tout its successes. This year, those affirmations had a different flavour. Canada has a wave of national pride that tends to arise when the country is threatened, and with tariffs imposed by the United States among threats of annexation by U.S. President Donald Trump, it was ever-present at this year’s Junos.

Here is how it played out.

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“Canada Is Not for Sale”

“Canada Is Not for Sale” has become a defiant slogan of pride of late, opposing Trump’s repeated threats of turning the country into the “51st state.” Junos host Michael Bublé was the latest star to use the phrase recently sported on a t-shirt by Mike Myers on Saturday Night Live. In an opening monologue that echoed the famous “I Am Canadian” Molson ad of the early 2000s, Bublé asserted a number of vaguely political affirmations of what he called “the greatest nation on earth.” “When they go low, we go high,” he said. “We love this country, and when you love something, you show up for it,” he said.

Allan Reid, president and CEO of CARAS, the organization that administers the Junos, also asserted culture as a form of Canadian identity in his speech at the industry gala on Saturday. Canada is the third largest exporter of music to the world, he said, likely referring to Luminate’s recent year-end report, and that’s an important distinction. “It is our culture that defines who we are and it is the touchstone of what it means to be Canadian,” he said. The music crosses borders, and that strengthens Canada internationally.

Winning the Walt Greilis Award, which recognizes individuals who have strengthened the growth or development of Canadian music, Live Nation Canada chairman Riley O’Connor echoed that sentiment. “It’s a time not to retreat, but to show innovation and talent,” he said. He was recognized for playing a big part in building the national touring network in Canada and showing international acts that there are fans in the country who want to hear the world’s music on live stages. He quoted Rush‘s “The Spirit of Radio,” then said, “now it’s time to turn up our Canadian volume.”

Behind-the-Scenes Success Stories

There is a tendency for the Canadian music industry, and the Junos, to speak to itself. That can be a problem when some of the biggest international stars strive for international success but don’t always show up for Canadian recognition.

While the Junos were a building block of a self-sufficient Canadian music industry, along with Canadian Content regulations and a strong system of government arts funding through organizations like FACTOR, it now has an issue of star power. Tate McRae was this year’s biggest winner with four awards, but wasn’t there to accept, and stars like The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes were also missing.

Some of the country’s biggest recent success stories, however, are behind the scenes, and this year they got an important overdue gesture of recognition. The Junos introduced the inaugural songwriter of the year (non-performer) category, and the winner was Lowell. The same winner of the Billboard Canada Non-Performing Songwriter Award, which she also accepted at the Billboard Canada Power Players in 2024, Lowell has been pushing for the category for years. “I’ve been here [at the Junos] eight or nine times before and watched hits I wrote win,” she said on Saturday night. “But never moi.” She shouted out her Canadian co-writer Nate Ferraro and all the other artists who should have won the award before her.

Lowell co-wrote some big hits recently, including Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and that shows a major impact made by Canadian musicians behind the scenes. Jack Rochon won the producer of the year award for his work with major international artists like Beyoncé, Kehlani and local R&B favourite Charlotte Day Wilson. Serban Ghenea, meanwhile, won recording engineer of the year for work with two of the biggest charting artists of the last year, Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims (Ghenea has been nominated for 50 Grammys and won 21). Producer Boi-1da, meanwhile, won the international achievement award for work on some huge songs by stars like Drake, Rihanna and Eminem.

Canada is a heavy hitter for its relatively small population, and its fingerprints are on some of music’s biggest hits. It’s a good time to bring those accolades into the open.

Diversity as a Strength

There’s no one distinct Canadian sound, but the country has a cultural fluidity that is well-suited to the increasingly globalized music industry. There is music being made in multiple languages, well beyond even English and French.

Canada has become a global hub for the ascent of Punjabi music – what Billboard Canada coined the Punjabi Wave – and that’s become a big part of the Junos over the last few years. This year, the awards introduced the South Asian recording of the year award, which AP Dhillon won for “The Brownprint.” Unfortunately, the category was not televised and Dhillon wasn’t there to accept, but there was still a Punjabi performance by Gminxr, Jazzy B, Inderpal Moga and Chani Nattan.

Elisapie, meanwhile, won alternative album of the year for Inuktitut, an album of covers of songs by artists like Blondie and Pink Floyd in the title language. Accepting, she said she was proud to be an Inuk woman, singing in her language. Winning rap album of the year for their album RED FUTURE, Snotty Nose Rez Kids talked about Indigenous excellence and creating a vision for Indigenous people to see themselves in the future. In a year when Buffy Sainte-Marie had her awards revoked amidst questions of her own Indigenous identity, the Junos also recognized new and present cultural voices.

“Elon Musk Is a Piece of Garbage”

While many of the criticisms of the U.S. were more subtle or centered around Canada – the name Trump was barely spoken – there were a couple of sharper criticisms. One came from bbno$ on Sunday’s televised broadcast. After saying his thank yous for winning the fan choice award, he had one last thing to say: “Also, Elon Musk is a piece of garbage.” The crowd cheered for the jab at Trump’s head of DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency]. Introducing the next segment with Max Kerman of Arkells, Bublé said he didn’t hear what was said but could tell the crowd loved it. “I heard it,” Kerman said. “And it was right.”

At Saturday’s gala, Montreal band NOBRO brought real punk energy to their performance while lead singer Kathryn McCaughey sported a tank top that said “Pussies Against Fascism.” They won rock album of the year for their album Set Your Pussy Free and advocated for equal representation of women and for abortion as health care. “No pussy is free until they all are,” they proclaimed.

Made in Canada

In recent weeks in response to tariffs, American products have been pulled off liquor store shelves and grocery stores have hung signs letting shoppers know which products are Canadian-made. The messaging of the Junos also touted Canadian success stories, but there was a criticism below the surface of overrepresentation of major label acts in both the nominations list and televised performances. Sony, Universal and Warner all have Canadian offices and are thriving Canadian operations, but are also adjuncts of American companies.

There were some notable exceptions, however. The Beaches, who won group of the year for the second year in a row, gained bigger success after splitting with their former label, Universal Music Canada.

Sum 41 have been a major-label band throughout the majority of their career, but remarked on the strangeness of getting industry recognition. “We’re not really an award show band,” Deryck Whibley said. Being honoured with an induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, they remembered sending their demo to every label and having it turned down by all of them. “One even told me it was the worst he had heard in a decade,” he said. “Maybe he’s here tonight.” They persisted, though, and became a major-label success story.

If resilience was a theme of the Junos, Nemahsis provided a different example. The Palestinian-Canadian artist told the story of being dropped from her major label shortly after Oct. 7 and releasing her breakout album Verbathim fully independently with the help of her manager Chass Bryan.

“So many labels are being thanked and mentioned,” she said on Saturday night accepting the alternative award, right in front of many major players of the Canadian music industry. “Labels have money. Money pays for albums. Artists need money to make art. I was cut off and left with nothing, and this album still came out because of Chass and my parents and the people of Palestine.”

More than 20 years since it became required listening for any mid-aughts music fan, the artists featured on the soundtrack to acclaimed indie film Garden State have come together in Los Angeles for a one-night only affair.

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Initially released in July 2004, Garden State served as the directorial debut for Scrubs star Zach Braff, and earned itself a nomination for the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Though it avoided much of the Hollywood glitz and glamor, the film developed a cult following, thanks in part to its eclectic soundtrack.

Equally influential and acclaimed, the soundtrack collected names such as The Shins, Coldplay, and Iron & Wine as something of a snapshot of the era’s indie landscape. Ultimately, the soundtrack peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and won the 2005 Grammy for best compilation soundtrack for visual media. 

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In October 2024, it was announced a special concert celebration would take place at Los Angeles’ Greek Theater on March 29, with proceeds from the affair going to benefit The Midnight Mission, a homeless shelter and services provider founded in L.A. in 1914.

Promotion for the event promised appearances from (almost) every artist featured on the soundtrack, along with “very special guests” by way of cast member appearances, and on Saturday (March 29), the full anniversary concert came to fruition.

Artists such as The Shins were on hand to perform the likes of “Caring is Creepy” and “New Slang” (which attained widespread fame thanks to Natalie Portman’s character insisting the song will “change your life; I swear”), while Cary Brothers, Bonnie Somerville, Colin Hay, Thievery Corporation, Cary Brothers, and Sophie Barker of Zero 7 also appeared to perform their respective cuts.

A handful of notable absences did alter the dream lineup, however. While pop heavyweights Coldplay weren’t on hand to perform “Don’t Panic,” neither were Simon & Garfunkel available to run through “The Only Living Boy in New York.” In their absence, Laufey and The Milk Carton Kids got up onstage to cover their songs, respectively. Likewise, Iron & Wine paid tribute to the late Nick Drake by adding a rendition of “One of These Things First” to his scheduled performance.

The event also resulted in a couple of rare performances from the likes of Frou Frou and Remy Zero. While Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth of Frou Frou have been active again since 2017, the pair had not performed live since 2019, with the Garden State concert seeing them appear onstage once again.

Remy Zero, meanwhile, broke up in 2010 and reformed exclusively for the Saturday concert. The band largely reunited to play their 1998 track “Fair,” though they also used the opportunity to provide fans with a chance to hear the track “Save Me,” which found fame as the theme to Smallville from 2001 to 2011.

On the non-musical front, the event also featured appearances from both Braff and Portman, while Danny DeVito (an executive producer on the original film), and Braff’s former Scrubs co-stars Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke took to the stage to partake in the festivities and the fundraising efforts.

For those that missed out on the event, the concert will be available to purchase for streaming from April 6. Proceeds from the stream will also be donated to The Midnight Mission.

Drake has had a challenging year, due to being widely seen as the loser of a high-profile diss battle with Kendrick Lamar, but he got a strong show of support at the Juno Awards in his native Canada on Sunday (March 30). His friend and frequent collaborator Boi-1da (pronounced Boy Wonder) sang his praises in accepting an International Achievement Award. Drake wasn’t present at the ceremony, which was held at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
 “I’m extremely humbled by this award and just to be mentioned among the legendary names as well – man I can’t even describe it,” the producer (who was born Matthew Jehu Samuels) began. “I want to have a huge shout-out to my brother Drake, the greatest rapper of all time, the greatest artist of all time and he’s from Canada – Drizzy Drake – that’s my brother.

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“Listen…Drake, love you bro, we started this together, we did this together, I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for Drake and all the sacrifices he made, all the doors he kicked down for a lot of people man, so shout-out to Drake. Thank you for life, man, I love that guy.”

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, the future producer moved to Canada when he was three and grew up in Toronto. His first production work was at age 18, when he worked on two tracks on a Drake mixtape (Room for Improvement).

Boi-1da won his only Grammy to date as the co-writer of Drake’s “God’s Plan,” which was voted best rap song. The producer has been nominated for 19 Grammys, including six times for album of the year, for his work on Eminem’s Recovery, Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Drake’s Views, Kanye West’s (now Ye’s) Donda and Beyonce’s Renaissance.

Boi-1da has received two Grammy nods for record of the year, for “God’s Plan” and Rihanna’s “Work” (featuring Drake), and one song of the year nod, also for “God’s Plan.” He has been nominated twice for producer of the year, non-classical.

This International Achievement Award was his first Juno Award or nomination.