News

20 Jan 2023

Zach Bryan Ties Record for Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on Country Songwriters Chart

Zach Bryan spends a 31st total week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart (dated Jan. 21), tying Ashley Gorley for the most weeks spent on top since the chart’s launch in 2019.

Bryan, who has ruled for the past 23 consecutive weeks, matches the mark on the strength of five writing credits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, led by his breakthrough single “Something in the Orange.” The track tallies a third week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, as it reaches the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, rising 11-10.

Here’s a look at all five of Bryan’s songwriting credits on the latest Hot Country Songs chart, all of which he wrote solo and recorded, and which contribute to his placement on Country Songwriters:

Rank, Title:

  • No. 1, “Something in the Orange”
  • No. 27, “Oklahoma Smoke Show”
  • No. 32, “Burn, Burn, Burn”
  • No. 41, “Sun to Me”
  • No. 45, “The Good I’ll Do”

As Bryan ties Gorley for the most weeks logged at No. 1 on Country Songwriters, here’s an updated look at the artists with the most weeks spent on top:

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Country Songwriters:

  • 31, Zach Bryan
  • 31, Ashley Gorley
  • 18, Blanco Brown
  • 15, Luke Combs
  • 14, Morgan Wallen
  • 13, Taylor Swift
  • 10, Josh Thompson
  • 9, HARDY
  • 8, Josh Jenkins
  • 7, Josh Osborne
  • 5, Laura Veltz

On Billboard’s Country Producers chart, Joey Moi continues his domination as he extends his record-run at No. 1 to 91 weeks. He sports seven production credits on Hot Country Songs, via Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” (No. 2), “Wasted on You” (No. 5) and “Thought You Should Know” (No. 6); HARDY’s “Wait in the Truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson (No. 11); and Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” (No. 21), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 26) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 38).

The weekly Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Country Songs chart. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).

The full Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.

20 Jan 2023

‘My Humps’ v. ‘My Poops’: BMG Sues Toymaker Over Black Eyed Peas Parody Song

Music publisher BMG is suing a toymaker for promoting a brand of “unicorn poop” toys by releasing a song called “My Poops” – a scatological parody set to the tune of Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps.”

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan federal court, the publisher accused toymaker MGA Entertainment of infringing the copyright to the band’s smash 2005 hit, which reached No. 3 on the Hot 100 and spent 36 total weeks on the chart.

Released to promote MGA’s Poopsie Slime Surprise toys – unicorns that release sparkling “unicorn poop” slime – the song at issue features similar musical elements to the original, but with joke lyrics like “Whatcha gonna do with all that poop, all that poop.”

In addition to copying key musical elements, BMG says MGA’s song features a lead vocalist who “sounds very similar” to Black Eyed Peas lead singer Fergie.

“Music, especially a hit song such as ‘My Humps,’ adds great value when incorporated into a product or used in a video advertisement, because it increases consumer recognizability, consumer engagement and attention to the product,” BMG wrote in its lawsuit. “The infringing work is so substantially similar to ‘My Humps’ that it is obvious that the infringing work was intentionally copied.”

MGA’s song was released as a music video on YouTube, but BMG claims the copycat song was also incorporated into actual products. A sticker on the Poopsie Slime Surprise packages directed users to the video, the publisher says, and the actual dolls will play a snippet of the song when a “heart-shaped bellybutton” is pressed.

“Defendant has been selling the Dancing Unicorn Toys incorporating the Infringing Work all over the world and has received substantial revenue,” BMG’s lawyers wrote. “The Poopsie Slime Surprise product line has generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue for Defendant.”

In musical terms, BMG says that MGA’s song stole a number of key elements, including the melody, bass line, rhyme scheme, chord progression, cadence and others, and that the “My Poops” singer uses “a similar delivery and vocal inflections as used by Fergie.” It also says the name of the song is “an obvious play” on the name of the original.

Neither BMG nor MGA immediately returned requests for comment on Friday.

The new lawsuit sets the stage for a high-profile dispute over parody songs – a complex area of federal copyright law.

The legal doctrine of “fair use” expressly empowers people to parody existing copyrighted works, and one of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most seminal copyright rulings held that 2 Live Crew was legally allowed to release a bawdy parody of Roy Orbison’s rock ballad “Oh, Pretty Woman” without paying royalties. But the music industry’s premiere parodist, “Weird Al” Yankovic, voluntarily chooses to license all of the songs that he parodies. And the legal analysis is undoubtedly trickier when a parody song is used for outright commercial advertising or as part of an actual consumer product, rather than merely as a new song.

A more recent case pitted the Beastie Boys against a toy company called GoldieBlox, which released a viral parody of the group’s 1987 song “Girls” to promote its engineering and construction toys for girls. After the band threatened copyright infringement, GoldieBlox argued fair use – saying it had aimed to criticize the “highly sexist” message of the original Beastie Boys track and “further the company’s goal to break down gender stereotypes.”

But six months later, GoldieBlox agreed to a settlement in which it apologized to the Beastie Boys and agreed to donate a portion of its revenues to charities of the band’s choosing.

Read BMG’s entire lawsuit here:

20 Jan 2023

Neil Young Pens Loving Tribute to Late Bandmate David Crosby: ‘I Remember the Best Times!’

Through their ups-and-downs, good times, bad times and long bouts of silence, the thing that connected Neil Young and David Crosby was music. In a loving tribute to his old friend and bandmate in CSN&Y, Neil Young noted that while Crosby, who died at 81 on Thursday, “is gone… his music lives on.”

In a personal note posted on his Neil Young Archives site on Friday morning (Jan. 20), the fourth member of what is widely considered to be rock’s first true supergroup weighed in on the loss of his friend and musical partner, calling Crosby, “the soul of CSNY.”

Young wrote that Crosby’s voice and energy were “at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together.” Citing such indelible folk-rock standouts as Crosby’s anguished hippie anthem “Almost Cut My Hair” and the twisty, harmony-drenched title track “Deja Vu,” from the quartet’s 1970 debut album, Young said those songs and many others that Crosby wrote were, “wonderful to jam on and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept us going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was so memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.”

Two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Crosby died on Thursday of unknown causes. Crosby was a seminal, pioneering figure in the folk-rock scene for more than six decades as a member of The Byrds; Crosby, Stills & Nash and then Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He also had a prolific solo career, especially in recent years, releasing new music at an almost frenetic pace as he battled a series of health issues. 

Though the two were estranged at times, Young recalled the good years with the singer known as “Croz” to his friends, saying, “We had so many great times, especially in the early years,” adding, “Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.” Young sent his love to Crosby’s wife, Jan, and son, Django, as well.

“Lots of love to you,” he signed off. “Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!”

Nash and Stills earlier weighed in on Crosby’s death, with Nash writing, “It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years. David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most. My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.”

In a statement, Stills said, “I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to composer Gustav Mahler that stopped me for a moment: ‘Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.’ I shoulda known something was up. David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls. I was happy to be at peace with him. He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”

In a testament to the wide-ranging influence Crosby had to generations of singers and songwriters, his death was mourned by everyone from Melissa Etheridge — who asked Croz to be the biological father of her children in the 1990s — to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Jason Isbell, Hanson, Chuck D, Sebastian Bach, Rosanne Cash, the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan and many, many more.

20 Jan 2023

Ariana Grande Had the Perfect Response to Criticism She ‘Isn’t a Singer Anymore’

Ariana Grande had a wicked good response to criticism she’s been receiving in the past few months. Since being cast in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming live-action film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, the 29-year-old pop star has been open about wanting to dedicate her time to portraying Glinda the Good Witch — something that’s upset some fans who’ve been waiting since 2020’s Positions for new music from her.

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Some have even complained that Grande is no longer a singer now that she’s been shooting the films (while still focusing on rolling out products for her R.E.M. beauty company). But in a Friday (Jan. 20) TikTok, the “Thank U, Next” musician proved that this definitely isn’t the case.

Swaddled in a chunky knit, hooded sweater — baby pink, Glinda’s signature color — Grande sang a gorgeous, a capella cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz with a tone and vibrato that Judy Garland herself would have been proud of.

“Wanted to sing you a little something but don’t want to sing anything that is not ‘Ozian’ at the moment :)” she captioned the video. “Keeping to my little bubble for now … done with lots of love.”

The TikTok also included text callouts quoting the “why aren’t you a singer anymore?” comment, to which she responded by writing: “*is literally on set filming two musical movies all day every day*”

And if you’re wondering, there’s a reason she chose a hooded garment for the video. Though she’s already publicly debuted the blonde ‘do she got for Wicked, Grande wrote that she wanted to keep Glinda’s hairstyle concealed while filming the TikTok, shot in the middle of getting ready for her day on set.

It’s been more than a year since it was announced in November 2021 that Grande would be playing Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, in the highly anticipated Wicked adaptation. The following April, Chu revealed that they’d be splitting the project into two films, the first of which is set to arrive in December 2024.

In May, Grande broke the news to fans that she was’t working on a new album and didn’t have plans to anytime soon, instead wanting to focus her energies on Wicked. “That is going to have every piece of me, every minute, every ounce of my heart, my time, my soul, my everything that I can give it,” she said at the time. “My hands are quite full with a lot of other ‘thrillifying’ work at the moment. I am spending all of my time with Glinda.”

See her new TikTok below:

20 Jan 2023

Florida Man Ron DeSantis Blocks AP African-American Studies Classes

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has rejected the AP African-American Studies curriculum for students in the state, claiming it “lacks educational value.”

News of the administration’s decision to reject the program was reported on Thursday (Jan.19th), angering many academics and Democratic lawmakers. The state’s education department had expressed its intent in a letter sent to the College Board last week. “As presented, the content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value,” the letter said. Reportedly, these officials weren’t even aware of what the AP course syllabus contained before their rejection.

There were no specific reasons for their decision given, but other Republican officials have expressed that the curriculum violates the state’s Stop W.O.K.E Act which was signed into law last year by DeSantis. The bill restricts certain racially-based analyses and conversations. DeSantis claims that the legislation is meant to fight “wokeness as a form of cultural Marxism.”

Part of that law was temporarily blocked by a judge last August, citing the “dystopian” reasoning behind it and its potential effects.

The College Board responded to press inquiries that “we look forward to publicly releasing the updated course framework as soon as it is completed and well before this class is widely available in American high schools.” State Democratic lawmaker Anna Eskamani pointed out the hypocrisy of the move. “If I can take American and European history there’s absolutely no reason why, I see no reason why our students shouldn’t have the option to take African-American history,” she said to The Daily Beast. The National Parents Union expressed its outrage at DeSantis’ actions in a statement, writing: “DeSantis continues to be a threat to democratic values as he abuses his power to dictate what Florida students can learn and think about.”

The move is another low point for the Republican governor, who has brazenly enacted policies that have harmed the Black community in Florida over the past few years while setting his eyes on the presidency in 2024. DeSantis has also zeroed in on the LGBTQ+ community with harsh policies, including legislation banning instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten to third grade commonly known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill which he signed into law last March.

20 Jan 2023

Go Behind the Scenes of BIBI’s New Medley Performance: Exclusive

Ahead of her duties as a mentor in the Samsung NXT 2.0 competition, BIBI put a spotlight on new music in her latest performance — and Billboard has a glimpse behind the scenes of the number.

For the performance, which took place in Korea, the pop star offered up two cuts from her latest album, Lowlife Princess: Noir, which dropped last November: “BIBI Vengeance” (나쁜X) and “Lowlife Princess.” The LP hears the singer/songwriter take the stance of fictional character Oh Geum-ji, who is on the hunt for revenge, and the star was quick to embody that energy in her medley number. Scroll on below to see the star in action.

20 Jan 2023

Riley Keough Remembers Mother Lisa Marie Presley Ahead of Public Memorial

Actress Riley Keough paid loving tribute to her late mom, Lisa Marie Presley, on Friday morning (Jan. 20), on the eve of a public memorial for the singer and only child or Elvis and Priscilla Presley. In an Instagram post accompanied by a single red heart emoji, Keough shared a throwback sepia-toned snap of Lisa Marie looking lovingly down at her daughter, who is holding a bouquet of flowers.

Lisa Marie Presley, who died at age 54 last week after going into cardiac arrest at her Calabasas, California home was laid to rest at Elvis’ Graceland estate on Thursday (Jan. 19) in a private ceremony in which she took her place next to her son, Benjamin Keough, in the estate’s Mediation Garden; Elvis, and his parents, Vernon and Gladys, are also buried in the Garden.

Keough’s tribute came in advance of a planned public memorial service slated to take place on Sunday (Jan. 22). Riley and Benjamin were Lisa Marie’s children from her marriage to ex-husband Danny Keough; Lisa Marie was also mother to twins Harper and Finley with fourth husband, Michael Lockwood. Riley was by her mother’s side at last week’s Golden Globes, just two days before her passing, where she and Priscilla helped celebrate Austin Butler’s award for playing the rock legend in Baz Luhrmann’s’ Elvis. 

To date, no details about a cause of death or any possible precipitating incidents or health issues have been revealed, and according to CNN, that information might take some time. “Presley was examined on Jan. 14 and the cause of death was deferred,” Sarah Ardalani, spokesperson with the LA County Dept. of Medical Examiner-Coroner, told CNN. “Deferred means that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation into the death, including additional studies. Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination.”

Check out Riley’s post below.

20 Jan 2023

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: Every Musical Impersonation on Snatch Game Ranked

Throughout the storied history of RuPaul’s Drag Race, many mini and maxi challenges have come and gone. Between queens making puppets and variety/talent shows, there are few challenges that have remained essentially the same since their inception … except for the Snatch Game.

Since its debut back in season 2, Snatch Game — Drag Race‘s celebrity impersonation challenge lampooning the classic game show Match Game — has become one of the most beloved challenges on the show. Usually seen as a turning point in the competition, Snatch Game is one of the few challenges every queen can expect to see in their time on the show.

Now, only four episodes into its run, season 15 is launching its 14 remaining contestants into the iconic competition. On Friday’s new episode (Jan. 20), the queens will be split into two groups to face-off with their celebrity impressions, all aiming for the same goal — to make RuPaul laugh.

Along with being one of Drag Race’s most iconic challenges, Snatch Game is also one of the most difficult. Speaking to Billboard, two-time Snatch Game winner Jinkx Monsoon explained that the challenge is more than meets the eye. “Snatch Game is very hard,” she said. “It feels like it’s a test of your impersonation skills, but it’s simultaneously a test of your comedic skills and improv skills.”

With the challenge’s history of providing plenty of hilarious (and cringe-worthy) portrayals of iconic musical artists, Billboard decided to look back on every Snatch Game in the show’s herstory and rank each musical impersonation. From the Great Beyoncé Curse to spot-on performances as Adele, Cher and Britney Spears, check out all of our findings below.

20 Jan 2023

Elle King Talks Upcoming Country Project ‘Come Get Your Wife,’ Reuniting With Dierks Bentley

Elle King has already earned chart-topping hits including her Grammy-nominated breakthrough “Ex’s and Oh’s,” and her Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping collaborations including “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” with Miranda Lambert and “Different for Girls” with Dierks Bentley.

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On Jan. 27, King will bring her roots-rock swagger to her first full-fledged country album, Come Get Your Wife.

Prior to the album’s release, King sat down with Billboard at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium to discuss the new album, her approach to crafting her vivid, hilarious music videos, her foray into country music, her fashion evolution and reuniting with Bentley for their most recent collab, “Worth a Shot,” a song King says her collaborator had initially considered for his own album.

“I would never want to give anything less than 110% to making music, let alone country music that I care so much about and that has brought so much great joy to my life,” King says. “I asked my team to send me some songs, and a bunch of stuff got sent to me that was written for women and I didn’t necessarily connect with it. I said, ‘Send me songs written for men … send me songs Dierks didn’t cut,’ just kind of jokingly.

“I was working with [the album’s co-producer] Ross Copperman, [he] said, ‘Well, Dierks just finished his album and ‘Worth a Shot’ didn’t make the record.’ I said, ‘Great, ‘cause it’s for me!’” she says with a laugh. “I couldn’t put out a country album and not at least have something on there that is a nod to Dierks or to give respect to the person who changed my life and who showed me the most rock n’ roll I’ve ever seen in my life, which is country music. Country music has given me these incredible opportunities.”

The Ryman Auditorium proved an ideal setting to discuss the new project, which melds elements of country, folk, bluegrass, soul and rock. Country music’s “Mother Church” currently has an exhibit spotlighting the venue’s abundant rock n’ roll history.

“I came from the rock and the pop and alternative world and I was brought into country when I started singing with Dierks,” King says. “I was like, ‘This is more Rock n’ roll than rock n’ roll!’ Even the way I dress, it’s like ’50s western, kind of rockabilly, but it seems rock n’ roll to me. I love the rock exhibit–it’s cool because it’s not only Elvis and James Brown, but also Clapton, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.”

Watch Billboard‘s chat with Elle King about her upcoming album above.

20 Jan 2023

Brazilian Star Ludmilla Signs Management Deal With WK Entertainment/Central Sonora

Brazilian powerhouse singer-songwriter Ludmilla has inked a new management deal with WK Entertainment and Central Sonora. The alliance arrives after she won a 2022 Latin Grammy for her album Numanice #2, and after making history as the first Afro-Latina artist to reach one billion streams on Spotify. 

“[This deal] is a very important step in my career,” Ludmilla tells Billboard Español. “WK Entertainment/Central Sonora, together with my company Sem Querer Produções, will add structure and they will assist in enhancing my musical work, which is my focus. I am very happy and excited about this partnership and I am sure it will yield many results.” 

Together, the teams will work to further amplify Ludmilla’s global artistic development. Central to this growth is Central Sonora’s CEO Cesar Figueiredo, who is leading this new stage in the artist’s career. He will oversee all management functions of the project. Walter Kolm, who is the founder and CEO of WK Entertainment and WK Records, will also provide support while helping develop key relations for Ludmilla’s continued growth. 

“Ludmilla reflects the true sonority that exists in Brazil today. She is ready to conquer the world by exploring our Brazilian culture,” Figueiredo said in a statement shared with Billboard Español. “Our alliance began a few years ago as a friendship and has since blossomed, giving us the opportunity to finally work together professionally. It is truly an honor for me as a manager to represent a highly regarded and iconic artist such as Ludmilla.” 

“This is a phase in my career that is very diverse and different from anything I’ve ever done, a phase that accompanies my current state and the work I propose, which has 100 per cent my truth and [aligned with] my artistic vein,” the artist adds.  

With her propulsive pop and funk formula, Ludmilla has become a force to be reckoned with in her native Brazil and beyond. And her ever-expanding fan base further testifies her rise to prominence — she currently has 28.8 million followers on Instagram and 10.5 million on Twitter. The singer-songwriter navigates stylistic configurations with ease, whether she’s soulfully singing an R&B ballad (“Quem é Você”), spitting some funky carioca bars (“Tic Tac”) or charming listeners with sweet samba songs (“Maldivas”). Her gritty trap features equally intrigue, like on “Tanto Faz.” 

“I think of funk as an agent of change, especially in the lives of so many peripheral people who don’t have opportunities,” she says. “Funk embraces and elevates, it makes is claim our place in the world.” 

Ludmilla is poised to drop her next singles “Sou Má,” featuring funk MCs Tasha and Tracie, as well as “Nasci Pra Vencer” on Feb. 2. “The lyrics [to the latter trap song] tell my story, which is similar to the story of those who come from a place without [economic] gains, but with talent and hard work, we can reach places we never thought possible. It’s about me, but it’s also about others who I hope feel represented,” she says.

Last week, Billboard Español exclusively announced WK Record’s Brazilian operational expansion, which began quietly running last year. It will function to develop the careers of local talent with global appeal, while creating international opportunities for them. 

“I am delighted to welcome Ludmilla to our family of artists and join her in this exciting new journey, in partnership with Central Sonora,” Kolm stated. “Our companies look forward to amplifying Ludmilla’s career around the world and to consolidate [her] position as one of Brazil’s top artists.” 

Ludmilla is currently working on an eclectic album which, she mentions, will span genres like pop, R&B, funk, trap and more.