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28 Jun 2023

Meet MUSQ, the Latest Music Fund to Tap Into ETF Craze

A third music-focused electronic-traded fund — or ETF — is set to debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday (June 30). The aptly named MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF, trading under the ticker MUSQIX, has 48 stocks representative of the modern music business, including Universal Music Group, Spotify and Live Nation.  

To MUSQ’s founder, David Schulhof, the fast-growing ETF market is primed for an index that allows investors to easily buy into the global music business’s growth story. “It’s been hard to invest in music for the last 25 years,” he says. “You had to be a [limited partner] at KKR or Blackstone or Apollo. And it was really hard to get liquidity.”

Schulhof, most recently the president of music publishing at LiveOne, invested in music assets as the co-founder and CEO of Evergreen Copyrights, which was acquired by BMG Rights Management in 2010, but everyday investors weren’t able to participate in music’s growing popularity as an asset class. “There were a lot of other private equity-backed companies, but it was hard for investors to get exposure” to music, he says. 

With MUSQ, Schulhof says he’s giving “the Robinhood investor” a liquid investment to participate in the music business. MUSQ has 48 companies spanning the music content and distribution (including Warner Music Group, Believe), digital music (Spotify, Tencent Music Entertainment), live music and ticketing (Live Nation, Madison Square Garden, Vivid Seats), satellite and broadcast radio (iHeartMedia, SiriusXM, Townsquare Media) and music equipment and technology (Dolby, Sonos). U.S.-based stocks account for 45% of the index’s value; the remaining 55% coming primarily from South Korea, Japan and China. 

MUSQ avoids video streaming and other digital entertainment stocks that may rise and fall with music but aren’t dedicated to music. Still, not all of the fund’s companies generate most or all of their value from music. MUSQ’s three largest companies are Apple, Amazon and Alphabet. The next-largest company by weight, Sony Group Corp., owns film, gaming and electronics divisions in addition to Sony Music Entertainment. According to the index’s criteria, a company can be considered for inclusion if it derives at least 50% of its annual revenues from the global music business, is a top five company, or have at least 10% of the global market share in one of the five segments of the music business the index covers.

“I had to include them,” says Schulman, “and I couldn’t ignore them. But I created, I think, a fair, balanced approach, which was to cap their market share on the index at 7%.”

To be eligible for the index, a company must have a minimum market capitalization or assets under management $100 million and a minimum average daily trading volume of $200,000 over the previous six months. Some small companies, such as music streamers Deezer and Anghami, and the newly public Alliance Entertainment, didn’t make the cut. But many other small, unheralded companies are among the index’s 48 stocks, including Stingray, a Canadian streaming company that services cable television networks, and Cliq Digital, a German provider of streaming services that bundle music, movies, audiobooks and other content. 

MUSQ is part of a trend of music-focused funds attempting to tap into the booming ETF business. KPOP, which focuses on South Korean companies that create music and video content, launched in 2022. TUNE, another music-focused ETF, launched on June 22. Investors increasingly favor the simplicity of ETFs built around themes such as music, battery technology and sustainability. ETF’s asset under management ballooned from $3.4 trillion in 2016 to $10 trillion in 2021, according to EPFR. PwC believes ETFs will grow to $20 trillion by 2026.

“I have to believe that some amount of that money is going to be interested in music,” says Schulhof.

28 Jun 2023

Benny Blanco Sells Rights to Litmus Music

Super producer Benny Blanco sold a package of publishing and performance copyrights to Litmus Music, the private equity-backed music rights company run by industry veterans Hank Forsyth and Dan McCarroll, both groups said on Wednesday (June 28).

Litmus said the acquisition includes Billboard Hot 100 No. 1’s like “Diamonds,” recorded by Rihanna, “Moves Like Jagger” recorded by Maroon 5, “Love Yourself” recorded by Justin Bieber, and “Señorita,” recorded by Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello, plus “Eastside,” recorded by Blanco, Halsey & Khalid, “Roses,” recorded by Blanco and the late Juice WRLD featuring Brendon Urie, and others.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Investor interest in music copyrights remains at an all-time high, and while career-spanning catalogs from artists like Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan have fetched among the highest reported sums, Blanco, 35, is among a growing cadre of younger producers, artists and songwriters who are electing to sell some of their copyrights while they are still actively making music.

This is the second rights sale Blanco, whose full name is Benjamin Joseph Levin, has done in recent years. In 2019, he sold Hipgnosis partial rights to some 90 songs, including his writer’s share in “Castle on the Hill,” which Blanco co-wrote and co-produced with Ed Sheeran.

A 2013 winner of the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and multi-time recipient of BMI‘s songwriter of the year award, Blanco said his longstanding relationship with Litmus’s Dan McCarroll was the reason he chose them to handle these rights.

McCarroll, Litmus co-founder and chief creative officer, and Blanco met when the creative was 17 and McCarroll was running East Coast creative for EMI Publishing. The pair have since worked together on projects involving Keith Urban, Gym Class Heroes and Katy Perry, among others.

“I first crossed paths with Dan as a young teenager,” Blanco said in a statement. “I feel like we’ve had so many dinners and conversations that have gone beyond music and they really helped guide and shape me into the person I am today. There’s no better home I could imagine for such a meaningful part of my catalog.”

McCarroll speaks of the pride of watching him become the “incredible writer and producer he is today. We at Litmus are honored to work with him now to support part of his incredible catalog.”

Launched in August 2022, Litmus has $500 million in backing from Carlyle Global Credit, and aims to buy the publishing and recording rights of artists from a range of genres. In December, Litmus announced it bought Keith Urban‘s master recordings for an undisclosed sum. Forsyth previously held positions as executive vp at Warner Chappell and GM of Blue Note, while McCarroll served as president of both Warner Brothers Records and Capitol Records.

28 Jun 2023

Japan’s Daoko Talks New ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie’ Theme ‘Tsuki no Hana’: Interview

J-pop vocalist Daoko was tapped to sing the theme for Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie, a two-part animated feature due to hit Japanese theaters June 9 (Part 1) and June 30 (Part 2).

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The film depicts the final story of the Sailor Guardians, known as the Shadow Galactica arc. Daoko wrote the theme song “Tsuki no Hana” (“Moon Flower”) for this movie, set to be included in the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie Theme Song Collection, scheduled for release on the day Part 2 drops in theaters.

Daoko sat down with Billboard Japan to chat about the new song and her thoughts on the Sailor Moon franchise, which existed before she was born, the songwriting process for the movie theme, and where she expects to go next in her musical journey.

When did you first come across the Sailor Moon anime series?

I wasn’t born when the original series first aired, but reruns were being broadcast on cable TV when I was in kindergarten and that was the first time I watched it. The transformation scenes were cute, and from a kindergartener’s point of view, the characters were older young women and that also stands out in my memory. I see now that the items on the show like the rods are beautifully designed, but when I was little I just thought they were cute. We also pretended to be the Sailor Guardians in kindergarten.

What do you think is the appeal of the Sailor Moon franchise?

When I was little, I liked the visuals, transformation scenes, and worldview as a whole because I just thought everything was so cute. But now that I’ve grown up, and after watching the entire series over again, I thought it was cool how the concepts could be seen in the details of the design, like the planets being used as motifs. When I went to the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Museum (a major exhibition held in 2022), I took a long time looking at the transformation gear from each era.

You’ve mentioned that you “read the original manga and watched the anime series over and over again to take in the worldview more deeply” when creating the music for the movie.

Yes. I reread all the manga, watched the anime, and bought books containing model sheets and books geared towards fans to gaing new perspective on the work.

What part of “Tsuki no Hana” reflects what you took in through that process?

Since I knew that the song should exist alongside and support the world of Sailor Moon, I searched for a common language between my own worldview and that of the series. I tend to be too meticulous about being faithful to the source material and the original work, but Seiichi Nagai — who co-wrote the song with me — helped to loosen that up a bit, so that people who don’t know that “Tsuki no Hana” is from Sailor Moon will think it’s good when they hear it on the street. We aimed to please Sailor Moon fans while also adjusting the wording and the expression to make sure it also resonates with a wider audience. One of the themes was the nobility of the Sailor Guardians overcoming hardships.

Did the producers of the movie ask for the kind of music they wanted?

Since it was for the ending of the final chapter of the series, I initially had a ballad in mind, but as we discussed it further, it became clear they wanted the song to represent the strength of women and the thoughts of the Sailor Guardians as they confront their vicissitudes. Not mellow, but glorious. So the arrangement has powerful and dreamy elements to it.

Seiichi Nagai is the guitarist of TESTSET and also a supporting member of your backing band.

He’s been supporting me as a band member for my solo endeavors for a long time. We decided to form a new band called QUBIT with those same members, meaning he and I are now really bandmates. So we’re close like that, and I’ve also worked with him on several songs before. When he’s backing me in my solo projects, he peppers his performances with metal guitar flavors and I like his intense, cool playing style. His guitar playing also has a kind of starry sparkle to it that only he can create. I thought that would match the world of Sailor Moon and that’s why I invited him to collaborate.

The arrangement is credited to kensuke ushio, who also produces music under the name agraph. He’s worked on lots of anime-related music before. 

Mr. Nagai introduced us, and it was the first time I worked with Mr. ushio on a song’s arrangement. I thought he was so proficient. He made the song sound cool, and he scattered lots of sounds that would resonate nicely in a movie theater. The interlude is majestic, reminiscent of outer space, and we all had a lot of fun thinking about the song’s impact in theaters while working on it. I was in charge of singing and lyrics this time, so I didn’t get to see the entire exchange between the composer and arranger. It did kind of feel like something awesome was done before I knew it, and the demo came to me pretty much completed.

Have you received any response from your fans outside of Japan about releasing a Sailor Moon theme?

Sailor Moon is also very popular internationally, so I did receive many comments from people living in other countries when it was announced that I would be doing the theme song. My fanbase expanded internationally after working on anime music so I currently have quite a few fans in different countries. It seems they’re happy about my latest collaboration and looking forward to the movie’s release. I hope it’ll be a chance for people who like Sailor Moon to get to know Daoko. I’m sure people from many different countries will see the movie, and I wonder how “Tsuki no Hana” will sound to them.

When you perform outside of Japan, do you find the reactions of the audience different from those back home?

It depends on the country, and I do think there are individual differences, but people tend to be more expressive in a physical way. I guess it depends on the type of music, but in Japan, people are generally shy and seem to enjoy themselves internally, but elsewhere, people dance like crazy and that was also fun. I’d never seen anything like that before, so it left a big impression on me. Now I want the Japanese audience to dance, too, so I’ve been trying to build my shows to make it happen.

Are there any genres you’d like to try moving forward? Also, are you working on any new songs?

I think bands have their own cool ways of presenting themselves, but I decided to quit my former management to pursue what I like as Daoko the solo artist. I want to write cute anime music that falls under the “denpa song” genre (intentionally strange and catchy pop music). I want to write music that everyone can dance to at clubs, like “four-on-the-floor” stuff and house. I also want to expand the world in my demos, and since I’ve been practicing guitar recently, I’d like to write songs I can perform live “unplugged.” I like lots of music regardless of genre and want to keep doing music that I like. Right now, I have a strong desire to expand overseas, so I’ll probably make music with an overseas audience in mind, which probably means stuff people can dance to. I’d love to collaborate with artists from different countries, and am exploring various avenues at the moment.

—This interview by Akihiro Watanabe first appeared on Billboard Japan

28 Jun 2023

Adele’s Agent Lucy Dickins to Receive U.K.’s Music Industry Trusts Award

Lucy Dickins, the highly respected agent of Adele, Mumford & Sons and Olivia Rodrigo who serves as global head of contemporary music and touring at William Morris Endeavor (WME), has been named this year’s recipient of the U.K.’s Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS). 

Dickins — whose clients also include Stormzy, Rex Orange County, SAULT, Little Simz, James Blake, Jamie T, Hot Chip, Bryan Ferry, Mabel and Laura Marling — will receive the award on Nov. 6 at a gala ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The event will benefit U.K. charities the BRIT Trust and Nordoff Robbins. 

“I’m truly humbled by this recognition and honoured by the many colleagues and clients I’ve gotten to work with throughout my career and at WME,” Dickins said in a statement.  

MITS Award committee co-chair Toby Leighton-Pope said Dickins’ “impact on the industry is undeniable and her contributions continue to shape the industry landscape.”  

Dickins regularly appears on Billboard’s Women in Music, International Power Players and Power 100 lists. 

Previous recipients of the annual MITS award include Lucian Grainge, Ahmet Ertegun, Simon Cowell, Michael Eavis, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Annie Lennox, Roger Daltrey, Rob Stringer, Emma Banks, broadcaster and DJ Pete Tong and Dickins’ uncle, legendary British music executive Rob Dickins. Last year’s MITS award was given to entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, who had died earlier in the year at the age of 31. It was the first posthumous award given in the event’s 32-year history.   

Dickins relocated to WME’s Beverly Hills office from London last year after being promoted to global head of contemporary music and touring at the agency, making her the first woman to lead a talent agency’s music division. Her responsibilities include overseeing all aspects of the agency’s contemporary live business.

Last year, Adele played two sold-out shows at London’s BST Hyde Park Festival in front of 130,000 fans. That was followed by her delayed Las Vegas residency, which began in November and has been extended to wrap this fall. In total, WME’s music division says it booked more than 40,000 live dates in 2022.  

Prior to joining WME in 2019 — initially as head of its U.K. music division — Dickins spent more than 20 years at International Booking Talent (ITB), the London-based agency that was founded in 1978 by her father Barry Dickins and his business partner Rod MacSween.  

Dickins’ lineage in the music business goes back to her grandfather, Percy Dickins, who created the weekly magazine New Music Express (NME). Her uncle Rob Dickins served as chairman of Warner Music UK for 15 years, while her brother, Jonathan Dickins, is chief executive of September Management, which counts Adele, Glass Animals and producer Rick Rubin among its clients.  

27 Jun 2023

Spirits Giant Diageo Cuts Ties With Diddy’s Ciroc and DeLeon

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In late May, Sean Diddy Combs sued his longtime spirits partner Diageo, citing racism and claiming the brand was falling short in their support of Ciroc and DeLeon. Today (June 27), Diageo announced it is severing its business ties with Diddy.

Diddy filed his lawsuit with the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. Per the complaint, Diddy’s Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila brands were not being pushed with the same gusto as other celebrity brands under the Diageo umbrella, like Casamigos which is backed by actor George Clooney and which Diageo purchased for $1 billion in 2017. According to Diddy, it came down to racism his brands are perceived as Black and “Urban.” Diddy also pointed to issue with the lack of availability of his brands compared to others in the vast Diageo portfolio that includes Johnny Walker, Guinness, Tanqueray and Smirnoff.

Diageo is denying Diddy’s claims.

Per CNN, Diageo is claiming to have invested $100 million to help grow Diddy’s DeLeón tequila while claiming the mogul contributed a mere $1,000.

“This is a business dispute, and we are saddened that Mr. Combs has chosen to recast this matter as anything other than that,” said a Diageo press rep in response to Diddy’s initial filing. “Our steadfast commitment to diversity within our company and the communities we serve is something we take very seriously. We are disappointed our efforts to resolve this business dispute amicably have been ignored, and that Mr. Combs has chosen to damage a productive and valued partnership.”

Well today, the other shoe dropped. Diageo, which has been in business with the Hip-Hop mogul since 2007, announced that it was cuttings its brand partnerships with Diddy. The brand intends to arbitrate alleged breaches of their DeLeón agreement while the Cîroc relationship is terminated.

“Mr. Combs’ bad-faith actions have clearly breached his contracts and left us no choice but to move to dismiss his baseless complaint and end our business relationship,” said Diageo in a statement. “We have exhausted every reasonable remedy and see no other path forward.”

Combs’ lawyers responded in kind with a statement of their own.”It’s a cynical and transparent attempt to distract from multiple allegations of discrimination,” said Combs’ attorneys. They added, that Combs has “repeatedly raised concerns as senior executives uttered racially insensitive comments and made biased decisions. He brought the lawsuit to force them to live up to that contract, and instead they respond by trying to get rid of him. This lawsuit and Mr. Combs are not going away.”

Diageo also filed a motion to dismiss Diddy’s lawsuit.

Now it’s on Combs to deliver the receipts.

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27 Jun 2023

Upgrade Your Shades: Here’s How to Save Up to 50% Off Trendy Sunglasses for Summer

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

National Sunglasses Day is Tuesday (June 27), and if you’ve been meaning to upgrade your shades, today would be a great day to start shopping!

Sunglass Hut, Nordstrom, Oakley and Quay Australia are some of the many retailers and fan-favorite brands serving up deep discounts on your favorite styles for summer. To save you some time, we searched around the web to find a handful of the best sales on sunglasses starting at $35.

From affordable sunnies to designer sunglasses from Prada and more, you’re sure to find a style to fit your budget (and they’re not all flash deals, some sunglass sales extend into the holiday weekend).

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See below for a short roundup of sunglasses to shop on sale. For additional shopping recommendations, check out our picks for the best sunglasses under $25 and the $10 sunnies that shoppers can’t stop raving about.

Blenders Eyewear Assertive Style Unisex Aviator Sunglasses

$35 $59 41% off% OFF

Because aviators never go out of style, we’re starting with one of the deepest discounts on our list. These unisex aviator sunglasses from Blenders Eyewear scored a 4.5 customer rating for their “exceptional quality,” style and a comfortable fit. The sunglasses are available in matte black, matte gold, matte silver and a polarized purple/blue mirrored design. Need another sale option? Quay Australia’s “On a Break” polarized aviators are on sale for $49 (regular $85).

Oakley Men’s OO9245 Frogskins Low Bridge Fit Square Sunglasses, Crystal Clear/Prizm Sapphire, 54 mm

$112 $140 20% OFF

Oakley’s men’s Frogskins Sunglasses are discounted 20% at Amazon. You can get them in crystal clear/prizm sapphire and a dozen other shades.

Versace Sunglasses

$241.50 $345 30% off% OFF

It’s Barbiecore time! Currently 30% off, these Versace glasses are available in 10 different colors including fuchsia, black, brown, gold, green, yellow, white, havanna, silver and grey. And they’re on sale at several retailers including Sunglass Hut, Revolve and even Amazon.

Prada

$346.60 $433 20% off% OFF

Feeling Prada yourself? Get a pair of Prada sunnies at a discount. The tortoise glasses feature rectangle frames and are available in brown and black.

Double up on sunglasses during the buy-one-get-one-free sale at GlassesUSA. The sale includes the classically cool Ray-Ban’s new 2132 Wayfarer sunglasses. Use code: BOGOFREE to redeem the promo and code: LENSE50 for 50% off lens upgrades. The sunglasses are also on sale at Ray-Ban.com ($120). There’s still a few hours left to save up to 50% off select styles at Ray-Ban.

27 Jun 2023

How Far Will They Go? TikTok’s Sharpe Family Singers Cover ‘Moana’ on ‘America’s Got Talent’

From TikTok to the America’s Got Talent stage.

The Sharpe Family Singers — a New Jersey vocal group made up of mom and dad Ron and Barbra and their four kids, Samantha, Logan and twins Connor and Aidan — auditioned for AGT on Tuesday night, urging their 8.5 million TikTok followers and 1.6 million YouTube subscribers to tune in for their tryout.

They belted out the Lin-Manuel Miranda-written Moana ballad “How Far I’ll Go,” giving each family member a solo spotlight to shine throughout the theatrical performance.

Ahead of the performance, Ron and Barbra explained that they had been in a production on that very theater’s stage before they were married and even shared their first kiss in the show. “From production to reproduction!” judge Howie Mandel joked waving to the couple’s four children.

Before their AGT audition, the family appeared on another reality singing competition: Now-27-year-old daughter Samantha Sharpe tried out for American Idol back in 2021, with her whole family by her side. They even sang “Into the Unknown” from Frozen 2 as a family before Samantha scored a golden ticket on her own for hitting the power notes on Sia’s “Titanium.”

Now the family entertains millions with their musical videos — and hope to entertain millions more through America’s Got Talent, which airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Watch their AGT audition below:

27 Jun 2023

Austin Mahone Sings a Snippet of ‘Kuntry,’ Talks ‘A Lone Star Story’ Album & More

San Antonio, Texas, native Austin Mahone is reconnecting with his roots on A Lone Star Story, and he sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to talk about how it all came together.

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“A Lone Star Story is an album I started at the beginning of the pandemic, so it’s definitely been a long time coming,” he says of his new project. “It didn’t necessarily take me three years to finish it, but just because everyone was so separated and I wasn’t trying to finish it on Zoom. That’s just kind of weird. I feel like my album deserves more than that.”

The 27-year-old adds that he’s excited to show his country side to the world. “I just wanted to do something that was more authentic and real to me, and something that would be different for everyone else,” he notes. “I would be pretty nervous [about going in a new direction] if it wasn’t country music that I was meshing with. Because I grew up on country music, I feel very comfortable in that space, even though I’ve never done country music in my life before. It feels right.”

Mahone, who gained recognition through his YouTube and Vine covers as a teenager, shares that “consistency” is what allowed him to break the social media star stigma and get taken seriously as a musical artist. “Once, I had uploaded a Justin Bieber cover of his song ‘Mistletoe,’ and that was the one that got me a lot of recognition. Ryan Seacrest had it on his show and people started picking it up,” Mahone recalls. “From there, that’s when I was getting a bunch of calls from management and labels.”

See the full interview with Austin Mahone above, including a fun acoustic performance of his A Lone Star Story hit, “Kuntry.”

27 Jun 2023

Olivia Rodrigo’s New Album, ‘Joy Ride’ Cast Talk Love of K-Pop & More | Billboard News

New Olivia Rodrigo music is coming soon! The singer announced her sophomore album and its release date in a post that surprised fans to kick off the week. Austin Mahone talks his latest single “Kuntry,” why he wanted to step into the country music genre, and his new album ‘Lone Star Story.’ The cast of ‘Joy Ride’ open up about their love for K-pop and getting the approval of Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion. Fuerza Regida talks the Regional Mexican music explosion, taking over the Billboard charts, collaborating with Groupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, their tour, and more!

Tetris Kelly
Olivia Rodrigo’s new album proves she’s gots ‘GUTS,’ we take you to the ‘Joy Ride’ premiere to talk K-pop and Megan and Cardi’s ‘WAP.’ Austin Mahone stops by our studio. We run down the top songs on Twitter and Mexican music group Fuerza Regida are your latest cover stars.

Tetris Kelly
Guys, welcome to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly and it’s Tuesday, June 27. Let’s talk about one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Olivia Rodrigo announced the release date of her sophomore album and the pop star is ready to spill her guts.

Tetris Kelly
Olivia took to socials on Monday to announce her highly anticipated record is arriving later this year. Unveiling the cover art, the pop star wrote on Instagram, “my sophomore album ‘GUTS’ comes out September 8. I am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all.” She also shared a message to her fans in an IG story. “So excited about this new album and this new chapter. I can’t thank you guys enough for all your support and enthusiasm. Making this album was very daunting, very fun and very fulfilling. I can’t wait for it to be yours.” We’re so excited for the release and the first single ‘Vampire’ that drops this Friday.

Watch the full video above!

27 Jun 2023

Lizzo Cried When She Saw Her Name Onscreen at Beyoncé Concert

Lizzo had a healing inner child moment when she got to attend her longtime idol Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour — and saw her name on the big screen onstage.

In a video posted to Instagram on Tuesday (June 27), the “Special” singer is seen getting misty-eyed while watching Bey perform her “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix),” in which she shouts out Lizzo by name among 28 other iconic Black women in music. “In that moment I was thinking about baby me, listening to Happy Face by destiny’s child and crying myself to sleep because of bullies… I thought about Beyoncé jumping into the room where Tina Turner was waiting to meet her for the first time,” she captioned the post. “I think of what we all mean to people and how cyclical it is. We are all so infinitesimally and maximally connected and significant. It’s an honor. Thank You @beyonce.”

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Lizzo has credited Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child for inspiring her to become a singer a number of times, telling ELLE UK last year how impactful the girl group was in her life. “Growing up in Houston, the impact that Destiny’s Child had on me making a decision to become an artist was incredible, mostly because I felt like we were so close to it,” she explained. “Everyone had their, ‘I saw Beyoncé when…’ or, ‘I saw Destiny’s Child at this party…’ stories. And that made it seem more accessible. Like, ‘Oh, maybe I can do this too, if I worked hard enough and had the right people around me.’”

Speaking of Beyoncé’s mission with her music, Lizzo added, “she doesn’t just put out music for the sake of putting out music – there’s going to be something real, you know what I mean? A teachable moment. Every time I hear her, it’s like, “Man, I want to make people feel this way. How can I make people feel this way, too?’”

See the sweet full circle moment below.