News

03 May 2023

Christina Aguilera Is Bringing the Party to NYC as Pride Island Headliner in June

If you’re looking to feel “Beautiful” this Pride season, you don’t need a “Genie in a Bottle” to make it happen — all you have to do is “Come on Over” to NYC Pride’s Pride Island.

On Wednesday (May 3), NYC Pride announced that pop superstar Christina Aguilera will serve as the official headliner for this year’s Pride Island. Taking place on Sunday, June 25, Pride Island will also feature sets from Guy Scheiman, Karina Kay and Mor Avrahmi throughout the event.

“I couldn’t be more excited to headline NYC Pride’s iconic Pride Island,” Aguilera said in a statement of the upcoming show. “I’m always ready to celebrate the strength and resilience of all the individual members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies by dedicating this performance to our combined power when we act and work in solidarity.”

This year’s Pride Island is also coming to a new home. After Kim Petras’ headlining set on Governor’s Island last year, 2023’s Pride Island will take place at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park, a modern manufacturing campus in Brooklyn that also hosts cultural events.

Aguilera has a storied track record of support for the LGBTQ community. Earlier this year, GLAAD recognized Xtina as its 2023 advocate for change, honoring the artist as someone who “through [her] work, has changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” In accepting the award, the five-time Grammy winner called on everyone listening “to raise our voices if we want to live in a world that is free of discrimination, hate and violence.”

Christina Aguilera will take to the Pride Island main stage on Sunday, June 25, at Brooklyn Army Terminal. Tickets to Pride Island are on sale now.

03 May 2023

Missy Elliott, Kate Bush & More: Who Are You Most Excited to See Get Inducted Into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Vote!

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled its class of 2023 on Wednesday (May 3), and of the 14 artists nominated this year, seven made the cut and will attend the institution’s induction ceremony on Nov. 3.

While there were a series of snubs and surprises this year, a diverse bunch makes up the class of 2023: Kate Bush, who saw a major resurgence in 2022 due to her 1985 classic “Running Up That Hill” being featured in Stranger Things, Sheryl Crow, the late George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, The Spinners and Missy Elliott, who was notably eligible for induction for the first time in 2023.

In addition to the performers, hip-hop founder DJ Kool Herc and inventor of the power chord Link Wray will receive the musical influence award. Chaka Khan, Bernie Taupin (songwriter for Elton John) and Al Kooper (player/producer for Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blood, Sweat & Tears) were selected to receive the musical excellence award. Don Cornelius, Soul Train host from 1970 to 1993, was also inducted with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

“This year’s incredible group of inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock n’ roll,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a press statement. “We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture — the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.”

The class of 2023 will get inducted into the Rock Hall on Nov. 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Whose induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are you most excited for? Vote in our poll bellow.

03 May 2023

Hollywood Writers Vote To Strike For First Time In 15 Years

HipHopWired Featured Video

Hollywood Writers Go On Strike In Dispute Over Payments For Streaming Services

Source: David McNew / Getty

Thousands of television and movie writers in Hollywood are now on strike against major studios including Apple and Amazon, demanding improved wages and better regulations against the use of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting.

According to reports, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted unanimously early Tuesday morning (May 2) to strike. This decision came down after ongoing negotiations with the major Hollywood studios collapsed without reaching a new deal in advance of the old deal expiring at midnight on Monday (May 1). Picketing is expected to begin later on Tuesday.

The strike against the 350 streaming services and studios – which include Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony – is the first since 2007. “The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement Monday night.

The WGA demands include residuals from streamers and an increase in minimum wages and contributions to the union’s health and pension plans. The union also wants stronger safeguards in place to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in scriptwriting, preventing the generation of content and rewriting of work already done by human writers.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers representing the studios, claimed that they were offering “generous increases in compensation” including streaming residuals in their negotiations. But they also stated that they weren’t going to compromise on requests by the WGA for “mandatory staffing” and “duration of employment” claiming it would lead to writers being staffed on shows when they’re not needed.

Late-night television shows are expected to be immediately impacted, as Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon are set to stop production. Scripted dramas and soap operas will also feel an impact, leading to their cutting production short or stopping shooting entirely. Movies may be affected as well, but there has been a stockpiling of scripts by studios and networks that was initiated a while ago in case of an extended strike. The previous strike lasted 100 days into 2008, with an estimated local economic loss of $2.1 billion.

03 May 2023

Kanye West Holds Secret YEEZY Season 10 Fashion Show In LA

HipHopWired Featured Video

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - October 14, 2022

Source: MEGA / Getty

Kanye West might be on the outs with the fashion industry due to his antisemitic rants and social media posts, but if y’all thought that would keep him away from the game, y’all don’t know the “Black Skinhead” rapper.

Highsnobiety is reporting that this past Monday (May 1), Kanye West held a secret fashion show for his YEEZY Season 10 line where he used a gang of models with shaved heads (of course) to rock his latest collection which consisted of tight tee-shirts and pants that would’ve made Derek Vinyard proud (American History X reference).

YEEZY SEASON 10’s set was sparse. It was held in a rugged-looking store in West Hollywood, with little of note aside from barren industrial walls, rows of lightly-dressed models holding candles, and a sound system.

Ye’s YEEZY SEASON 10 invite, posted by the typical Ye stan pages (Ye’s preferred form of communication these days), didn’t actually mention YEEZY SEASON 10 by name, simply stating YZY FREE as the event’s title.

Interestingly enough the event was held not too far from Adidas flagship store on Melrose as well. Could Kanye West be trying to troll Adidas for giving him the pink-slip or was it just a “happy” coincidence?

Regardless of whether or not Kanye is still holding a grudge against Adidas for making the logical choice of cutting ties with him after threatening to go “death con 3” on the Jewish community, it seems like he’s not giving up his designer dreams and will continue to produce attire that you’ll rarely see out in the wild on anyone in their right mind (no shots).

As for the people in attendance, everyone walked away with a free t-shirt that looks like it wouldn’t survive a single wash cycle. Just sayin.’

It will be interesting to see if Kanye actually produces these pieces on his own dime or is attempting to court another brand to take a chance on him in his current toxic state. Either way, we don’t see his new collection garnering much interest even on social media.

What do y’all think of Kanye West holding a secret Yeezy fashion show? Let us know in the comments section below.

03 May 2023

Gwyneth Paltrow Explains How Coldplay’s Chris Martin Was ‘Very Different’ From Her Other Exes

Though it’s been nearly 10 years since Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin decided to “consciously uncouple,” the Iron Man actress still has a lot of love for her rock star ex-husband. While dishing on her A-list roster of former flames during the Wednesday (May 3) episode of Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, Paltrow revealed the sweet reason her relationship with the Coldplay frontman still feels different from any of her other romances to this day.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“When I met him, there was a very deep thing there,” Paltrow recalled of first crossing paths with Martin, with whom she shares 18-year-old daughter Apple and 17-year-old son Moses. “And I couldn’t quite put my finger on it because it felt very different than my other relationships.”

“It’s not so much that the relationship itself turned out to be healthier than my other relationships,” the actress continued. “It’s just that I think I had this deep calling on some level. I knew he was going to be the father of my kids, maybe or something. It was a very strong feeling.”

Paltrow first met Martin in October 2002, two months after the release of Coldplay’s breakout album A Rush of Blood to the Head. They tied the knot in December 2003 and were together until 2014, when the pair announced via a joint statement that they’d decided to part ways after more than 10 years of marriage.

“It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate,” they wrote at the time. “We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate. … We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner.”

On Call Her Daddy, Paltrow also reminisced on how she and the “Yellow” singer were rumored to be dating before they’d even met, simply because she’d been spotted attending one of Coldplay’s concerts. The Shakespeare in Love star had already become a huge fan of Martin’s music, and when they did finally meet backstage at another show, Paltrow recalled that her future husband “was like Tigger the tiger bouncing around.”

“He was just so sweet,” she added. “I met him when he was, like, 25, and I had just turned 30.”

Paltrow, who’s now married to TV producer and writer Brad Falchuk, also played a game of “Brad or Ben,” for which the Goop founder had to compare the talents of her two movie star ex-boyfriends Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck. When asked about which “B” name was better in bed, Paltrow said, “Brad was like the sort of major chemistry love of your life, like at the time, and then Ben was, like, technically excellent.”

“God bless J. Lo and everything she is getting over there!” Cooper responded, referencing Affleck’s now wife.

Hear Gwyneth Paltrow revisit her marriage to Chris Martin on Call Her Daddy below:

03 May 2023

What the Wes Anderson ‘Star Wars’ Trailer Means for Music

Right now, our artificial intelligence future sure seems to look a lot like… Wes Anderson movies! Over the past week, various AI programs have used the director’s quirky style to frame TikTok posts, rethink the looks of movies and even, more recently, make a trailer for a fictitious reboot of Star Wars. The future may be creepy, but at least it looks color-saturated and carefully composed.

The fake, fan-made Star Wars trailer, appropriately subtitled “The Galactic Menagerie,” is great fun, and its viral success shows both the strengths and current limitations of AI technology. Anderson’s distinctive visual style is an important part of his art, and the ostensible mission to “steal the Emperor’s artifact” sounds straight out of Star Wars. But the original Star Wars captured the imaginations of so many fans because it suggested a future that had some sand in its gears – the interstellar battle station had a trash compactor, and the spaceport cantina had a live band (and, one assumes, a public performance license).

Right now, at least, AI can’t seem to get past the surface.

“Heart on My Sleeve,” the so-called “Fake Drake” track apparently made with an artificial intelligence-generated version of Drake’s vocals, also sounds perfectly polished precisely in-tune and on-tempo. So do most modern pop songs, which tend to be pitch-corrected and sonically tweaked. (Most modern pop isn’t recorded live in a studio so much as assembled on a computer, so why shouldn’t it sound that way?) It’s hard to tell exactly why this style became so popular – the ease of smoothing over mistakes, the temptation of technical perfection, the sheer availability of samples and beats – but it’s what the mass streaming audience seems to want.

It’s also the kind of music that AI can most easily imitate. AI can already create pitch-perfect vocals, right-on-the-beat drumming, the kind of airless perfection of the Wes Anderson Star Wars trailer. It’s harder to learn a particular creator’s style – the phrasing and delivery that set singers apart as much as their voices do. So far, many of the songs online that have AI-generated voices seem to have put it on top of the old singer’s words, although most pop music is less about technical excellence than style of delivery. And quirks of timing and emphasis are even harder to imitate.

Most big new pop stars are short on quirks, but they might do well to develop them. Whatever laws and agreements eventually regulate AI – and it pains me to point out that the key word there is eventually – artists will still end up competing with algorithms. And since algorithms don’t need to eat or sleep, creators are going to have to do something that they can’t. One of those things, at least for now, is embracing a certain amount of imperfection. Computers will catch up, of course – if they can avoid mistakes, they can certainly learn to make a few – but that could take some time.

Until relatively recently, most great artists had quirks: Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham played a bit behind the beat, Snoop Dogg started drawling out verses at a time when most rappers fired them off, and Willie Nelson has a sense of phrasing that owes more to jazz than rock. (Nelson’s timing is going to be hard for algorithms to imitate until they start smoking weed.) In most cases, these quirks are strengths – Bonham’s drumming made Zeppelin swing. But many producers came to see these kinds of imperfections as relics of an age when correcting them was difficult and the sound of pop changed so much that they now stick out like sore thumbs.

I don’t mean to romanticize the past. And newer artists have quirks, too – they just tend to smooth them over with studio software. But this kind of artificial perfection is easier to imitate. So, I wonder if the rise of AI – not the parodies we’re seeing so far, but the flood of computer-created pop that’s coming – will push musicians to embrace a rougher, messier aesthetic.

Most artists wouldn’t admit to this, of course – acknowledging commercial pressure is usually considered uncool. But big-picture shifts in the market have always shaped the sound of pop music. Consider how many artists created 35-to-45-minute albums in the ’60s and ’70s, and then 60-to-75-minute albums in the ’90s. Were they almost twice as inspired, or did the amount of music that fit on a CD – and the additional mechanical royalties they could make if they had songwriting credit – drive them to create more? These days, presumably also for economic reasons, songs are getting shorter and albums are getting longer.

It will be interesting to see if they also get a bit rougher, too. In Star Wars, at least, the future isn’t all about a sparkling surface.

For the Record is a regular column from deputy editorial director Robert Levine analyzing news and trends in the music industry. Find more here.

03 May 2023

Kool & the Gang Celebrate 60th Anniversary With New Album ‘People Just Wanna Have Fun’

Kool & the Gang still knows how to party. In fact, the Grammy Award-winning group is preparing for its biggest party of all to date: its 60th anniversary in 2024. Following its April 13 performance on Good Morning America and the release of its latest single, “Let’s Party” featuring Sha Sha Jones, the R&B, soul and funk band is now announcing the arrival of its 34th studio album, People Just Wanna Have Fun.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Helmed by the group’s founding namesake Robert “Kool” Bell and original member George “Funky” Brown,” Kool & the Gang recorded a lively 15-track album that will arrive July 14 through Astana Music Inc, distributed by BFD/The Orchard. The set features some of the last studio work from the group’s stellar founding horn players: Kool’s brother Ronald “Khalis” Bell and Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, who passed away in 2020 and 2021, respectively. In addition to Sha Sha Jones, lead vocals on the album include Shawn McQuiller, Lavell Evans, Dominique Karan, Rick Marcel and Walt Anderson, plus rappers Ami Miller & Ole’. 

People Just Wanna Have Fun is a fitting next chapter in the Kool & the Gang legacy. Founded in 1964, the band is behind a string of timeless hits that include “Celebration,” “Ladies Night,” “Get Down on It,” “Summer Magic” and “Hollywood Swinging.” A release announcing the new project also notes the group being “the most sampled R&B band of all time” by stars such as Madonna, Jay-Z, Beastie Boys, Janet Jackson, Cypress Hill and Diddy. Their music has also been featured on various film soundtracks including Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Pulp Fiction and Wreck-It Ralph.

“You’ve got the funk, the jazzier tracks; we have a few ballads on there,” said Bell in the release about the new album. “Then there are songs that cross over to a pop sort of thing. We go from the ‘70s, the ‘80s, right into now. It’s old school, it’s new school — we kinda captured it all here. With all our music over the years, people have had fun. So I’d say this album just about sums it all up.” 

Kool & the Gang are also hitting the road this summer on the Kool and the Gang Rock the World Tour. Sponsored by Bell’s own Le Kool Champagne, the tour kicks off May 5-6 in Las Vegas, and wraps in Saratoga, Calif., on Sept. 24. Stops along the way include London (June 1), Cambridge, Great Britain (June 11), Plovdiv, Bulgaria (June 12) and Los Angeles (July 14-15). More tour information is available on the group’s website.

Keyboardist and drummer George “Funky” Brown produced People Just Wanna Have Fun, recorded at his Alley Cat Studio in Woodland Hills, Calif. He also has a book coming, Too Hot: Kool & The Gang & Me (July 11), in which he shares “my memoirs and cautionary tales.” During a recent phone interview with Billboard, Brown talked about the genesis of the new album, the loss of revered bandmates and extending Kool & the Gang’s estimable legacy.

Getting the recording party started for the project: We started the project five years ago with Sha Sha Jones. Right away, it was like hand in glove and we came up with the “Let’s Party” track. All the original horns are on that track. So we put that away and started coming up with more original material like “We Are the Party,” once again with all the original members. So that’s very special. Also on the 15th track, “99 Miles to JC,” you hear Ronald Bell on a sax solo and [the group’s late trombonist] Clifford Adams; this one has a real jazzy feel. The album also has pop, neo-soul, funk. … It’s a compilation of all the things that we are as Kool & the Gang. We worked on quite a few songs before we got down to the point of naming the album. And People Just Wanna Have Fun is very apropos after the pandemic and with what’s happening in the world right now. In fact, the album has three different sections that we call romance, dance and heart and soul. There’s also a young groove on the album with tracks like “I Want It All” featuring Sha Sha and Shawn McQuiller. Another track, “That’s What I Love About You,” reminds me of Anthony Hamilton, whose work I love. We use a lot of different harmonies on this album too, more than you’ve ever heard from Kool & The Gang in the past. 

Kool & The Gang

Shooting the “Let’s Party” video: I have no one favorite song on the album whatsoever. I love them all. I also just love putting together a project that comes together nicely. And you can see that in the video for “Let’s Party.” Everybody’s having a great time in the video, which was shot at my home. But it wasn’t just shoot the video and go home. We had a free bar set up and a catered dinner. So you can genuinely see that everybody’s really grooving and getting into it. 

His mindset in the studio while putting the album together: My mindset was about broadening and extending the legacy of Kool & the Gang. We’re a great entity that has put a few rungs in the ladder of musical history. We went from being young jazz musicians to funk then to pop and of course soul. Our music fits in so many genres and that’s fairly rare. But by jumping into other niches, we got more fans. And It’s grown and grown. It worked for us but we didn’t do it purposely. We did it because it was something we wanted to write, something we could feel. It was nothing contrived; it’s about the raw sound philosophy that we have. Our music has truth and a lot of workmanship that we put into it. I’m floored by and happy about the musicianship that’s on this new record. I hope the public worldwide will feel the same. Also, what more can you ask for after a career that’s been so successful — and that’s still growing after all these years. Of course, there’s been plenty of sadness with the passing of group members. Sometimes you get a little weepy in the studio. But we’re keeping the legacy alive and pushing it forward. And when it’s all said and done, we’ve done our job well. 

03 May 2023

Sheryl Crow Joins the Short List of Grammy Best New Artist Winners in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sheryl Crow’s selection for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2023 class comes nearly 28 years after she won a Grammy as best new artist. She is just the fifth artist to take both of these honors.

The Grammys and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame once seemed to be operating in different worlds, with the Grammys, in their early years, favoring traditional pop and jazz, and the Rock Hall long favoring guitar-based rock. But both organizations have moved to the middle in recent years.

For many years, just three artists had achieved both of these feats – a Grammy win for best new artist and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — but in the last two years, two more artists have joined the list.

With the Rock Hall becoming more open to a wider range of sounds, it’s not hard to picture several more past best new artist Grammy winners one day being inducted. Bette Midler, Natalie Cole, Cyndi Lauper (who was nominated this year but didn’t get in) and Mariah Carey would all seem to have at least a reasonable chance, and in some cases, a very good chance of making the Rock Hall.

Artists first become eligible for the Rock Hall 25 years after releasing their first record. So over time the artists who won best new artist after 1998 will also become eligible for the Rock Hall. Over the next 10 years that could bring in Lauryn Hill, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, John Legend, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse.

While we wait to see which of them make it, here are the five artists who both won a Grammy for best new artist and are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Grammy years shown are the years of the ceremonies at which the awards were presented.

03 May 2023

Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton & More Stars in Both the Country Music and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame

With Willie Nelson’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, 30 years after he was selected for the Country Music Hall of Fame, 16 artists or executives have been chosen to join both Halls.

Nelson, 90, is one of only three of these double (Rock and Country) inductees who is still living. The others are Brenda Lee, 78, and Dolly Parton, 77. Three double inductees – Johnny Cash, The Everly Brothers and Sam Phillips — lived to see both of their inductions, though they have since died.

Nelson, Parton and the late Jerry Lee Lewis have joined the list of double inductees in the past year.

The roster of double honorees includes 13 male artists or executives (the exec being Sun Records founder Phillips); two female artists (Lee and Parton); and one duo (the Everly Brothers).

Bob Wills was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as a solo artist but was inducted into the Rock Hall as the leader of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys.

Impressively, singer, songwriter and guitarist Jimmie Rodgers was in the inaugural class in both Halls. He was one of the first three people inaugurated into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 and one of the 16 initial inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Rodgers, nicknamed The Singing Brakeman, was just 35 when he died of a pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by tuberculosis in 1933. (He is unrelated to the recording and TV star also named Jimmie Rodgers who had a string of pop and country hits in the late ’50s.)

Floyd Cramer, a top session musician who recorded such crossover hits of his own as “Last Date” and “San Antonio Rose,” is the only person who was inducted into both the Country and Rock Halls of Fame in the same year (2003). Unfortunately, the pianist didn’t live to see this multi-genre appreciation; he died in 1997.

Like Cramer, Chet Atkins also had some hit recordings, but his main contributions were behind-the-scenes as a studio guitarist, producer and record executive (for RCA).

Here’s a list, in alphabetical order, of everyone who has been inducted into both of these Halls of Fame. We show the year each person was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (CM HOF); the year each was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (R&R HOF); their highest-charting hit on what is now called Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart (which originated as Hot C&W Sides in October 1958); and, finally, the year of death for those who are no longer with us.

Note: Many of these acts had hits that pre-dated the introduction of Hot C&W Sides. The hit tallies shown here and the identification of the artists’ biggest hits are for the period starting in October 1958 only.

03 May 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Corook, Olivia Barton, CHINCHILLA, Jasiel Nunez & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts on its roster, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 acts who appear on surveys for the first time on the May 6-dated charts.

Corook & Olivia Barton

Both Nashville-based singer-songwriters and Berklee College of Music graduates make their first-ever Billboard chart appearances with their collaboration “If I Were a Fish” (billed as corook featuring Olivia Barton). The song, released April 21 via Atlantic Records after going viral on TikTok, debuts at No. 16 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 19 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 1.9 million official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold in the April 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also enters Alternative Digital Song Sales (No. 6), Rock Digital Song Sales (No. 7) and the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart (No. 36).

Plus, Corook debuts at No. 46 on Emerging Artists. Corook (real name Corinne Savage), who hails from Pittsburgh, released their debut EP achoo! in April 2022, also on Atlantic. They’ve previously opened in concert for JP Saxe, Jukebox the Ghost, K.Flay and X Ambassadors. Barton — from Orlando, Fla. — has self-released two LPs: I Could Have Smiled at You More in 2019, and This Is a Good Sign in 2022. She’s currently on the road supporting Lizzy McAlpine on her The End of the Movie tour.

CHINCHILLA

The British singer-songwriter starts on Billboard’s charts with her track “Little Girl Gone.” The song, which she released on her own CHINCHILLA label (distributed through Kartel Music Group) on April 21, soars in at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales with 11,000 downloads sold. She also becomes the first female soloist in the Emerging Artists chart’s six-year history to debut at No. 1. (This year, the only other acts to debut atop Emerging Artists are Daisy Jones & The Six and xikers.) CHINCHILLA (real name Daisy Matilda Bertenshaw) self-released her debut solo LP Awakening in 2020. In 2021, she released the EP Moon Maintenance for Dummies via Columbia Records (through Sony Music Entertainment Germany).

Jasiel Nuñez

The Guadalajara, Mexico, native earns his first chart placement thanks to his new collaboration with Peso Pluma, “Rosa Pastel.” The song, released April 20 via Peso Pluma’s Double P Records, debuts at No. 24 on Hot Latin Songs with 5.1 million U.S. streams. It also starts at No. 13 on Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales, No. 25 on Latin Digital Song Sales, No. 18 on Regional Mexican Streaming Songs and No. 25 on Latin Streaming Songs, as well as No. 163 on the Billboard Global 200. Nuñez also arrives at No. 42 on Emerging Artists. Nuñez was one of the first artists that Peso Pluma signed to Double P after launching the label, as CEO and head of A&R, in April.

Hypaton

The 24-year-old Italian producer reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to “Be My Lover (2023 Mix)” with David Guetta and featuring La Bouche. The song, which updates La Bouche’s dance-floor classic “Be My Lover,” debuts at No. 29 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 497,000 streams, as well as No. 17 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Hypaton (real name Giorgio Ortenzi) and Guetta released the track April 21 on What a DJ/MCI/NITRON/Arista Records. Notably, the song earns Guetta his 77th hit on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, extending his record for the most among all acts. La Bouche’s original “Be My Lover” recording reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1996. HYPATON is slated to perform during Guetta’s run of F*** Me I’m Famous! shows, which begin in June at Ushuaïa Ibiza.

Cairo Knife Fight

The Christchurch, New Zealand-based band makes its first chart visit as “Churn” debuts at No. 39 on Mainstream Rock Airplay. The song, which the duo self-released Feb. 14, enters with a 23% gain in plays. The act comprises Nick Gaffaney (vocals, drums, keyboard bass) and George Pajon Jr. (guitar). Pajon has contributed to several other Billboard chart hits prior to “Churn.” He’s credited as a songwriter on four Hot 100-charting songs, all by the Black Eyed Peas: “Request Line” (No. 63, 2001), “Where Is the Love?” (No. 8, 2003), “Let’s Get It Started” (No. 21, 2004) and “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” (No. 3, 2005). (“Started” and “Phunk” won Grammy Awards for best rap performance, duo/group, in 2005 and 2006, respectively.) He also co-wrote Will.i.am’s promotional song for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, “Yes We Can.” Cairo Knife Fight has opened in concert for bands including Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.

Anna Lapwood

The 27-year-old organist lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time, as her new EP Midnight Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall debuts at No. 9 on Classical Crossover Albums. Lapwood released the set April 21 via Music Productions Limited/Sony Classical/Sony Masterworks. She also serves as the director of music at Cambridge’s Pembroke College. She graduated from Magdalen College in Oxford, England, and became the first woman in the school’s 560-year history to be awarded the Organ Scholarship.

Caleb & John

The Nashville-based duo charts for the first time, as “Hallelujah Feeling” debuts at No. 50 on Christian Airplay (92,000 in radio audience). The pair released the song March 17 via Fair Trade Services — and subsequently celebrated hearing it on the radio for the first time. “The message we want to communicate is hope,” John recently said. “There is hope for you. If God can change somebody like me, He can change somebody like you.”

Myah Marie

Myah Marie notches her first chart appearance as a recording artist thanks to her featured credit on RuPaul’s “Adrenaline.” The song, released in 2014 on RuPaul’s Born Naked album via RuCo Records, debuts at No. 9 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Myah Marie has forged an accomplished career as a songwriter, as she’s written or co-written songs for acts including Aaron Carter, Lil Wayne and Britney Spears.

Bruce Katz Band

The group’s LP Connections opens at No. 15 on the Blues Albums chart. The ban — which is comprised of Bruce Katz (piano/organ), Aaron Lieberman (guitar/vocals) and Liviu Pop (drums) — released the set April 21 through Dancing Rooster Records. Katz is a blues veteran, having released his first album as a bandleader, Crescent Crawl, in 1992.

Eric Carr

The late, former drummer of rock legends Kiss (from 1980-91), achieves his first solo chart entry as Rockology debuts at No. 57 on Top Album Sales (4,000 sold). The set was issued as a Record Story Day vinyl and CDexclusive on April 22. Kiss charted 11 songs on the Hot 100 with Carr as a member (following 13 by the group in 1974-79), including the No. 8-peaking ballad “Forever” in 1990. Carr, who took up the persona of “The Fox” in Kiss, died from heart cancer in 1991.