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Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tends to a 27th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart — breaking out of a tie with The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” for the most time spent at No. 1 in the survey’s history.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” previously logged a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 on the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100, beginning last July.
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The track holds atop Radio Songs with 63.3 million in audience Jan. 24-30, essentially even week-over-week, according to data tracker Luminate. The chart reflects all-format airplay on more than 1,000 monitored radio stations; Pop Airplay chart reporter KDHT (Hits 95.7) Denver has played the song the most to date, more than 4,000 times.
Here’s a rundown of the longest-leading Radio Songs No. 1s, dating to the chart’s December 1990 start:
27 weeks, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey, beginning Aug. 10, 2024
26, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, April 18, 2020
18, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 25, 2023
18, “Iris,” Goo Goo Dolls, Aug. 1, 1998
16, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5 feat. Cardi B, Aug. 4, 2018
16, “We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey, May 28, 2005
16, “Don’t Speak,” No Doubt, Dec. 7, 1996
15, “Easy On Me,” Adele, Dec. 4, 2021
14, “High Hopes,” Panic! at the Disco, Dec. 1, 2018
14, “No One,” Alicia Keys, Nov. 3, 2007
14, “Because You Loved Me,” Celine Dion, April 13, 1996
“A Bar Song (Tipsy),” on American Dogwood/EMPIRE and with country radio promotion by Magnolia Music, dominated the Country Airplay chart for seven weeks beginning last August, the longest No. 1 run for a first entry, and ranks in the top 10 for a record-extending 31st week.
The song also made history as the first to hit the top five (or even top 10) on Country Airplay, Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay (two weeks at No. 1 on each chart) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 3 peak).
“There were many, many doubters of our ability to work this record at radio,” EMPIRE COO Nima Etminan told Billboard after “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100. “The industry loves telling independents that there’s a ceiling to what they can do on their own, and this was no different. We were told it can’t be done, and, as we like to do, we proved them wrong. We’ve assembled a fantastic team that we had full faith in – and they delivered.”
All charts (dated Feb. 8, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Feb. 4. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Compton, it’s a sweep! At last night’s 67th Annual Grammy Awards (Feb. 2), Kendrick Lamar went home the most-awarded artist of the night, taking home all five categories “Not Like Us” was nominated in. With his victories for best rap song, best rap performance, best music video, song of the year and record of the year, Lamar brought his career total to 22 wins. What’s more? In one night, “Not Like Us” won as many Grammys as Drake has in his entire career.
In non-Lamar Grammy news, Doechii shut down the stage twice. First, she delivered an emotional acceptance speech after winning best rap album for Alligator Bites Never Healed, and she returned to the stage a few hours later for an explosive medley of “Catfish” and “Denial Is a River.” The R&B field wisely avoided a sweep and spread the wealth between Muni Long (best R&B performance for “Made for Me”), Chris Brown (best R&B album for 11:11), SZA (best R&B song for “Saturn”), Lucky Daye (best traditional R&B performance for “That’s You”) and Avery*Sunshine (So Glad to Know You) and NxWorries (Why Lawd?), who tied for best progressive R&B album.
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And, at long last, Beyoncé finally won album of the year, joining Natalie Cole, Whitney Houston and Lauryn Hill as the only Black women ever to receive the honor as lead artists. Cowboy Carter also took home best country album and best country duo/group performance for the Miley Cyrus-assisted “II Most Wanted.”
Drake let Kendrick (and The Weeknd!) enjoy their Grammy moments last night, but he wasted no time making his own moves the following morning. On Monday (Feb. 3), Drizzy confirmed that $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, his long-awaited joint album with Partynextdoor, will arrive on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) — less than a week after K.Dot is slated to perform at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show.
With Fresh Picks, Billboard aims to highlight some of the best and most interesting new sounds across R&B and hip-hop — from Doechii’s Grammy victory lap anthem to action to Jessie Reyez’s slinky new jam. Be sure to check out this week’s Fresh Picks in our Spotify playlist below.
Freshest Find: Doechii, “Nosebleeds”
Hours after joining Cardi B as just the second female rapper to win the best rap album Grammy as a soloist, Doechii dropped the soundtrack to her victory lap. Calling on Ye’s 2005 Grammy acceptance speech, the Swamp Princess kicked off her surprise new Jonas Jeberg-helmed track saying, “I don’t know, is she gonna go crazy? Is she gonna go crazy?/ Everybody wanted to know what Doechii would do if she didn’t win/ I guess we’ll never—.” Prancing down the path of Slick Rick, Doechii spends “Nosebleeds” weaving in and out of new flows, each more arresting than the last, and different vocal intonation and affectation to highlight the kaleidoscopic feel of Jeberg’s frenetic production. Reminiscent of 2022’s “Crazy” with an ethereal beat switch tucked at the very end, “Nosebleeds” is a loosie that bodes well for the rest of Doechii’s 2025. — KYLE DENIS
Lord Sko & Curren$y, “Understand”
The prince of Uptown NYC. A throwback to the Golden Era lyricism that once emanated from the pavement of the Big Apple, Lord Sko floats above the skyscrapers on the jazzy “Understand.” He delves into his escapades betting on Italian horses and how he’s spent so much on drugs that his plug became a fan. “It’s just something you can’t understand/ Word is in my palm, my blunt is in the other hand,” he raps. Curren$y feels right at home over the soulful production while flexing about his marble tiles and fountain sitting in his front yard. Look for Sko’s Piff album arriving on March 28. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
Jessie Reyez, “Goliath”
“GOLIATH,” the latest taste of Jessie Reyez’s forthcoming new album, serves as a powerful reflection on selfless love. Reyez showers her partner with appreciation, expressing just how much their love means to her and her deep desire to hold on to it. “GOLIATH” centers on unwavering devotion, portraying a love so strong that she’s willing to fight any battle to protect it. The title is a biblical reference to the giant warrior defeated by David, symbolizing immense challenges or obstacles. When Reyez sings, “I would square up with any Goliath,” she declares her readiness to take on anything for love. Lines like “moonwalk it through any fire” further drive home her commitment — she’s not just facing difficulties, she’s moving through them with ease and confidence. With “GOLIATH,” Jessie Reyez delivers yet another emotionally charged anthem. — CHRISTOPHER CLAXTON
Durand Bernarr, “Impact”
Fresh off his first career Grammy nomination (best progressive R&B album for En Route), acclaimed indie R&B singer-songwriter Durand Bernarr launched “Impact,” the lead single from his forthcoming third studio album, Dur&. Over pulsating synths, Bernarr employs a range-traversing approach to vocal performance that allows his bright falsetto and robust lower register to highlight the darkest and warmest elements of the soundscape Stanley Randolph, Poe Leos and nftnty94 co-created. A funky ode to remembering the link between intention and impact, Bernarr’s latest single keeps his hot streak going. — K.D.
EST Gee feat. Travis Scott & Lil Baby, “Houstatlantaville”
Geeski season has returned. Taking inspiration from Drake’s “Houstatlantavegas,” EST Gee flips a street anthem of his own connecting H-Town, Atlanta and Louisville alongside Lil Baby and Travis Scott for “Houstatlantaville.” Originally just Gee and Baby, a strip club encounter with La Flame in Houston brought him into the fold. Scott bats third after a pair of gritty verses and takes the chance to boast about his lucrative touring. “Every time I touch the stage, that’s two million in the case/ 30-plus shows in the states, I come back with twice my age,” he boasts. The song’s full parent album, Gee’s I Ain’t Feeling You, is also worth the price of admission. — M.S.
Coco Jones & Leon Thomas, “Here We Go (Uh Oh) [Remix]”
“Here We Go” again! Coco Jones is back with a fresh take on her Grammy-nominated hit “Here We Go (Uh Oh),” this time teaming up with Leon Thomas. As she readies for the release of her highly anticipated debut album under High Standardz/Def Jam Recordings, Jones continues to build on the momentum of her 2022 EP What I Didn’t Tell You, which featured the Grammy-winning track “ICU.” On the remix, Leon Thomas steps into the role of the ex, offering a raw and emotional response that adds another layer to the song’s narrative. “Here We Go (Uh Oh) (Remix)” vividly portrays the tumultuous cycle of a toxic, on-again, off-again relationship where neither partner can truly let go. Coco Jones channels frustration as she attempts to break free, but subtle actions — like her ex liking her posts — keep drawing her back in. Leon Thomas, on the other hand, views their tumultuous love as just part of the experience, questioning why she would move on while subtly implying that she’s not completely over him either. — C.C.
Dee Gatti, “Control”
Like Ms. Jackson, everyone has a story about control, including rising Texas R&B singer Dee Gatti. “Too selfish for your own good/ Baby, you change on your own time/ ‘Cause I gave it the best I could/ Ain’t no saving you, I tried/ If I could care any less, I would,” he croons in the pre-chorus over percussive, early ’00s Timbaland-evoking production courtesy of Kofo, Jay Gogna & Arniticus Anderson. With sweeping, histrionic strings perfectly communicating the harrowing stakes of navigating a relationship with a controlling — and maybe even manipulative — partner, “Control” is an excellent addition to Gatti’s 2025 offerings. — K.D.
AzSwaye, “LOTTA”
AzChike represented for the AzCult with his guest appearance on Kendrick Lamar’s GNX album, and AzSwaye takes the baton for the crew into 2025. Swaye’s never been shy about rolling the dice in life and his overindulgences. “You know I talk a lot of s–t/ I’m off drank, I’m off pills/ I’m on a lot of s–t,” he raps over trunk-rattling drums for the menacing “LOTTA.” Raised around West Coast rap royalty – Kendrick Lamar once helped save him following a treadmill accident – Swaye looks to etch his own chapter in the history books. — M.S.
Mahalia feat. Lila Iké, “Pressure Points”
British singer Mahalia teams up with Jamaican artist Lila Iké for the reggae-influenced “Pressure Points,” exploring the complexities of a passionate yet tumultuous relationship. The song blends intense love, longing, frustration, and emotional strain. The opening establishes a desire for balance, with Mahalia’s chorus using “pressure points” to describe the emotional and physical areas where her partner can reach her, urging them to act on their deep connection. Lila Iké’s verse shifts the tone, expressing frustration with the inconsistency of the relationship and calling for more honesty and commitment. Mahalia’s second verse highlights the emotional push and pull, feeling desired when together but cold and uncertain when apart. The bridge, where both artists unite, demands that actions match words, emphasizing that promises are empty without tangible effort. “Pressure Points” captures the emotional complexity of a love that’s both passionate and challenged by mixed signals, emotional distance, and the need for deeper commitment. — C.C.
Travis Scott’s “4X4” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
The track, released Jan. 24, marks the superstar rapper’s fifth Hot 100 leader, following “Franchise,” featuring Young Thug and M.I.A. (one week at No. 1 in October 2020); “The Scotts,” billed to The Scotts, Travis Scott and Kid Cudi (one, May 2020); “Highest in the Room” (one, October 2019); and “Sicko Mode” (one, December 2018). All have debuted at No. 1 except for “Sicko Mode,” which started at No. 4.
Scott appeared at the College Football Playoff National Championship halftime show on Jan. 20, when he debuted “4×4” atop Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. All proceeds from the song’s CD single, among other of his offerings, benefit Direct Relief’s California Wildfire Response Fund.
Also notably, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” at No. 5 on the Hot 100 after a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1, rewrites the longest reign ever on the Radio Songs chart – 27 weeks – breaking out of a tie with The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights.”
The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts (dated Feb. 8, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, Feb. 4. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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.
‘4X4’ Streams, Airplay & Sales
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Source: Courtesy of Heinz / Heinz
Looks like DJ Mustard, ahem, Mustard done found himself in quite the marketing opportunity, as he’s just struck a deal with HEINZ to become a part of an everyday condiment that people enjoy all over the world, and we aren’t mad one single bit.
Source: Courtesy of Heinz / Heinz
Mustard and HEINZ have struck a deal that will lead to a limited-edition Mustard x Mustard condiment, which makes perfect sense and honestly should’ve been done quite some time ago. The collaboration was revealed during the Grammy Awards last night (Feb. 2) and will mark the first time that HEINZ has co-created a new mustard recipe in the U.S. and will be the first new mustard the brand has released in a decade. This is a great look for everyone involved. We just wonder what kind of ingredients Mustard put together for his new mustard.
“This collab coming to life is a big deal and something that has been decades in the making for me,” said Mustard said in a statement. “Everyone knows me for my beats and sound, but what they don’t know is that cooking and grilling is a huge part of my life. I’m on the grill every chance I get. I’ve been using HEINZ since I was a kid, so partnering with them is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
So you know it’s real, the producer has been bestowed with the title of Chief Mustard Officer, with exclusive recipes, and events to be schedules across the year.
We’re not gonna lie, we can’t wait to throw some Mustard mustard on a glizzy at a BBQ as soon as the weather warms up.
Are y’all looking forward to taste testing the new Mustard mustard when it drops? Will there be some kind of resale value to this?
Check out the announcement below and let us know if you’ll be giving the remixed mustard by Mustard a try in the comments section.
When accepting the award for best pop duo/group performance at the 2025 Grammys on Sunday night (Feb. 2), Lady Gaga — the pioneering pop performer known across the globe for her unflinching advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community — shared her spotlight with a community in desperate need of affirmation.
“Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love,” she declared. Cameras cut into the audience, showing nods of approval and acknowledgement from music’s biggest names, including Billie Eilish, Beyoncé and Charli XCX. “The queer community deserves to be lifted up. Music is love.”
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In almost any other year, Gaga’s declaration would be seen simply as another example of the singer’s ongoing support for the community that helped give her the platform she occupies today. But in 2025, her statement was just one of a chorus of voices — predominantly queer ones — reminding the audience at home that for some communities, existence itself is currently at stake.
The 2025 Grammys received plenty of attention this year for an undeniably queer slate of nominees and performers, and Sunday’s ceremony proved to be one of catharsis and joy for the community. Queer artists stepped up to the plate to combat the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and legislation being spread across the United States and the world at large with defiant joy and unparalleled affinity.
That outpouring of love and support could not come at a more crucial moment; in the 14 days since he took office for a second term, President Donald Trump has effectively codified his backwards, bigoted views on LGBTQ+ people into a series of regressive executive actions.
He denied the existence of trans, non-binary and intersex people by declaring that the United States government will only recognize two sexes. He revoked federal mandates for workplace protections that prevent marginalized communities — including queer and trans folks — from being discriminated against. He attempted to ban trans people from serving in the U.S. military again. He ordered to end any and all federal funding for gender-affirming care. He targeted trans students and schools that support them. His actions led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to temporarily remove online health resources for the LGBTQ+ community. Emboldened right-wing lawmakers around the country have announced their desire to have the Supreme Court reverse their landmark ruling legalizing same-sex marriage.
To put it plainly: The current right-wing political ecosystem, led by Trump’s administration, is attempting to erase the LGBTQ+ community from participation in public life, starting with trans and gender-diverse people.
Before the Grammys began in earnest on Sunday, artists were already calling out the ongoing attacks on trans people. Speaking to GLAAD on the red carpet, soon-to-be best new artist winner Chappell Roan laid out, in no uncertain terms, her support for the trans community.
“It’s brutal right now, but trans people have always existed and they will forever exist, and they will never, no matter what happens, take trans joy away,” the singer said. “That has to be protected more than anything, because I would not be here without trans girls. So, just know that pop music is thinking about you and cares about you, and I’m really trying my best to stand up for you in every way I can.”
Roan doubled down on that support later on in the awards show. Despite her breakout hit “Good Luck, Babe!” being nominated across multiple categories at the ceremony (including record and song of the year), the Midwest Princess instead opted to perform her generational LGBTQ+ anthem “Pink Pony Club.” Surrounded by rodeo clowns, kitschy outfits and a giant rose-colored horse, Roan let the crowd accentuate the point of her song with a loud sing-along at its final chorus. Chappell, and the LGBTQ+ community at large, will “keep on dancing,” come what may.
Roan was just one amongst a crowd of LGBTQ+ stars who dominated the awards on Sunday evening. After becoming the second-ever queer Black woman to take home the best rap album award at the ceremony (Cardi B made history with her win in 2019 for Invasion of Privacy), breakout star Doechii dedicated her win to all the Black girls watching at home, promising them that no president could take their shine from them, even if our current one has his sights set on eliminating DEI programs across the federal government.
“Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud,” she said. “You’re exactly who you need to be to be right where you are.” Earlier in the evening, Doechii made sure to call for the industry to bring “more gay artists” into the fold in the coming years.
In a backstage interview after her three rock category wins, St. Vincent added to the voices calling for greater LGBTQ+ representation across the board. “There have always been queer people in the history of the world, and especially in music,” she told a reporter. “There’s a bunch of queer people being celebrated this year. And that’s great, of course it’s great — empathy and humanity, let’s go.”
That’s not to say that the Grammys had a perfect run in 2025. As in years past, the annual ceremony had a distinct lack of trans artists present amongst the nominees — though writer/producer Ariel Loh, the first openly trans Asian-American woman to win a Grammy (in the Harry Belafonte best song for social change category, for Iman Jordan’s “Deliver”), made sure to use her limited screen time properly, calling on the audience to “protect trans kids.”
Cynics could shrug off the overt queerness of this year’s ceremony as an inconsequential blip in an unprecedentedly dangerous time for the LGBTQ+ community. But data shows that events like the Grammys are more impactful than some critics are willing to admit.
A 2022 study by the Trevor Project showed that nearly 80% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that seeing musicians come out as LGBTQ+ made them feel better about their own identities. Over 70% felt the same way when they saw straight, cisgender celebrities advocate on their behalf. Compare that to the organization’s study from last year showing that 90% of all LGBTQ+ youth surveyed said recent legislative attacks on queer and trans rights had a direct, negative impact on their well-being.
“When LGBTQ+ young people see themselves reflected and celebrated on a global stage like the Grammys, it sends a powerful message that they belong, their experiences matter, and that they can succeed in spaces as their true, authentic selves,” said Kevin Wong, the Trevor Project’s senior vice president of marketing, communications and content, in a statement shared with Billboard. “Queer visibility in the media also plays a key role in reducing stigma and combating stereotypes surrounding LGBTQ+ people. We are a vibrant and creative community, and we deserve to have our voices heard, our accomplishments celebrated, and our existence validated.”
With unequivocal bigotry working its way into mainstream conversations of queerness and transness once again, LGBTQ+ artists made certain on Sunday night that queer and trans kids watching at home knew that what’s happening now is not normal, nor should it be accepted as such. They reminded the audience watching that it is everyone’s responsibility to fight back against the rising tide of transphobia.
And to lawmakers aiming to relegate LGBTQ+ people to the outer margins of society, those same artists offered an explicit message underlined only by their success at the annual ceremony: We’re not going anywhere.
When Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh announced Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter as the winner of album of the year at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards (Feb. 2), the rapturous standing ovation that swept across Crypto.com Arena seemed to say one thing: Finally.
After five previous bids over the past decade and a half, Beyoncé finally took home album of the year for the second history-making entry in her still-unfurling trilogy that commenced with 2022’s Grammy-winning Renaissance. As Queen Bey embraced her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter (already a Grammy winner in her own right), and began to make her way to the stage, the room rejoiced. Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish wept, Cynthia Erivo leapt up and down, Taylor Swift shared a toast with Jay-Z, Olivia Rodrigo cheered and GloRilla screamed till she damn near couldn’t anymore. At long last, the First Lady of Music – as dubbed by one Clive Davis – had finally won the industry’s most coveted prize.
With her victory, Beyoncé not only extended her lead as the most-awarded artist in Grammy history (35 wins), but she also joined Natalie Cole (Unforgettable With Love, 1992), Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard, 1994) and Lauryn Hill (The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, 1999) as just the fourth Black woman to ever win album of the year. It’s that nugget of history, coupled with her litany of egregious General Field snubs that made this moment such a sweet one to witness.
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But let’s be careful not to let “overdue” narratives completely obfuscate the artistic merit of Cowboy Carter. Leading up to last night’s ceremony, many publications – including Billboard – predicted that Cowboy Carter would take home top honors. Across social media and some of those pieces, narrative started to build that a Cowboy Carter victory would be like Leonardo DiCaprio winning for The Revenant or Martin Scorsese winning for The Departed – or like Beck winning for Morning Phase in 2015, the year of Bey’s first major album of the year loss. After being passed over for what many consider to be their best efforts, acclaimed artists who consistently produce the best work in their respective industries finally earn the highest honors in their field. In the same way that DiCaprio is an actor’s actor and Scorsese is a director’s director, Beyoncé is an artist’s artist. That much was clear when the 2023 Grammys turned into a Bey pseudo-meet-and-greet, and the room’s ecstatic reaction to her victory last night was another reminder. As far as many are concerned, Cowboy Carter’s win is equivalent to a lifetime achievement award; a mea culpa of sorts for snubs of years past.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with that framing, but it does belie the fact that Cowboy Carter would have deserved to win whether it was Bey’s first album of the year nod or her tenth. Less than two years after flipping the dance-pop world on its head with Renaissance, a record that illuminated the Black queer roots of dance music and culture, Beyoncé strutted into yet another new genre and made it completely her own, while venerating some of its most respected (and overlooked) pioneers.
She opened the album with “Ameriican Requiem,” a Buffalo Springfield-nodding tour de force that served as a musical funeral for not just the most limiting visions of America, but also the overwhelmingly white country music establishment that unfairly made themselves the gatekeepers of who can lay claim to country music, aesthetics and identity. Over the 26 subsequent tracks, she assumed and illustrated different Western motifs and characters (the sheriff, the damsel in distress, the outlaw, etc.), ending with “Amen,” an anthem of hope for a new, limitless vision of America that interpolates the album opener.
Cowboy Carter reaped a whopping 11 nominations across several different genres, a point she emphasized with the brilliant three-track run of “Jolene,” “Daughter” and “Spaghettii.” With her reimagining of Dolly Parton’s classic, Beyoncé turned the country icon’s desperation into a fierce understanding of self-worth that simultaneously aligned her existing musical and lyrical brand with Parton’s track, while also serving as a callback to the “Becky” character that haunted 2016’s Lemonade, which infamously lost album of the year to Adele’s chart-conquering 25. “Jolene” gives way to “Daughter,” a positively stunning take on the country murder ballad that finds Beyoncé ripping through an operatic rendition of “Caro Mi Ben” in the original Italian before recruiting Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry, and Shaboozey, the man who would come to be the voice behind the longest-running solo Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single in history (“A Bar Song”), for “Spaghettii.” Nominated for best melodic rap performance last night, “Spaghettii” mines the cross-cultural history of spaghetti westerns to create a folk-inflected trap heater assisted by a Brazilian funk sample (O Mandrake’s “Aquecimento das Danadas”). And that’s just the first half of the LP!
There’s also “Alliigator Tears,” on which Bey is seemingly singing directly to the Recording Academy. “You say move a mountain/ And I’ll throw on my boots/ You say stop the river from runnin’/ I’ll build a dam or two/ You say change religions/ Now, I spend Sundays with you/ Somethin’ ’bout those tears of yours/ How does it feel to be adored?” she posits in the chorus. Of course, there’s also the rising contemporary Black country talent she highlighted across the album (Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones, Reyna Roberts and Tiera Kennedy), and let’s not forget her Jersey club flip of Patsy Cline’s seminal “I Fall to Pieces” either. We don’t even have to get into the historic chart achievements of the era or the cultural impact it had across fashion and business – Cowboy Carter is worthy enough based solely on its 27 gorgeous songs.
Not a single one of the other nominees for album of the year boasts the archival ambition, depth of research, courage, experimentation, soul and sheer scope of Cowboy Carter. The album is closer to a master’s thesis than a standard pop album, but it’s also relentlessly fun. Whether she’s going full Western camp on “Tyrant,” crafting a friendship anthem for the ages alongside Miley Cyrus on “II Most Wanted” or blazing through a crash course in rock ‘n’ roll history on “Ya Ya,” Cowboy Carter is a blast. The record received some flak for its length and people considering it a “chore” to sit through because of how heady it can get at certain points; Cowboy Carter, in some circles, became something to be respected, but not enjoyed. In reality, Beyoncé crafted the album with so much verve that there really isn’t a way for Cowboy Carter to not be the ultimate hoedown. Is it Beyoncé’s best album? Depending on the day, maybe. Is it frustrating that the Recording Academy couldn’t reward her for making paradigm-shifting music in her home genre of R&B? Unequivocally. But none of that makes Cowboy Carter underserving of its victory in the 2025 album of the year race.
There’s a reason the album collected two other wins last night, just like how The Departed and The Revenant won additional Oscars outside of Scorsese and DiCaprio. Their victories may have been delayed, but they still triumphed for excellent and deserving work. Pity wins those were not. Yes, this win is a vindication of her past losses, a tribute to her towering career, and a nod to the Black women before her who were denied time and time again, but above all, it’s a win for Cowboy Carter specifically – and that’s the most important takeaway from last night.
The Weeknd is giving fans a glimpse of his upcoming psychological thriller film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, by revealing the first-look photos Monday (Feb. 3). The photos arrive one day after the Canadian-Ethiopian superstar made his triumphant return to the Grammys and performed “Cry for Me” and “Timeless” with Playboi Carti from his new album, Hurry […]
At Sunday night’s ceremony, the top prizes were won by Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar.
It’s going to be a sweet Valentine’s Day indeed. JISOO is less than two weeks away from dropping her highly anticipated debut solo mini-album, AMORTAGE, on Feb. 14, and the K-pop superstar continued the roll-out by unveiling the project’s tracklist on Monday (Feb. 3). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, […]
Willie Nelson is set to spearhead the 10th annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, welcoming a range of country, alt-country, Americana, bluegrass, folk and rock artists along for the 35-stop trek, which will visit 22 states along the way. The tour launches May 13 in Arizona, and wraps Sept. 19 in Wisconsin.
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The tour will feature performances from Willie Nelson & Family, Bob Dylan, Billy Strings, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Sheryl Crow, Turnpike Troubadours, The Avett Brothers, Wilco, The Red Clay Strays, Lake Street Dive, Waxahatchee, Charles Wesley Godwin, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, Trampled By Turtles, The Mavericks, Sierra Hull, Willow Avalon, Waylon Payne, Madeline Edwards, Lily Meola, Myron Elkins and Tami Neilson.
The tour will visit venues including Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl; The Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington State; FirstBank Amphitheater in Franklin, Tenn.; and Dallas’s Dos Equis Pavilion.
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“What an amazing lineup to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour,” Nelson said in a statement. “I can’t wait to join friends and family in bringing this celebration to the fans we love.”
Over the past decade, artists including Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Luke Combs, Neil Young, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers have performed as part of the Outlaw Music Festival Tour.
Tickets for the Outlaw Music Festival Tour will go on sale Feb. 7 at 10 a.m. local time on Ticketmaster and the festival’s website.
See the full lineup of shows below: