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10 Nov 2022

Tems‘ ’Free Mind’ Completes Near-Record Climb to No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart

Slow and steady wins the race for Tems, whose “Free Mind” reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The single tops the tally, rising 2-1, dated Nov. 12 in its 33rd week on the list, the second-longest climb to the summit in the chart’s 30-year history.

“Mind” rolls to its coronation with 19.2 million in audience in the week ending Nov. 6, according to Luminate.

As “Mind” reigns for the first time in its 33rd week on the list, it shuffles the leaderboard for the longest wait for a song to reach No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay list. “Mind” is now second in that count, behind only the 35-week journey for R. Kelly’s “Step in the Name of Love,” which completed its trek in December 2003. Among women, Tems takes the mark from Rihanna’s “Needed Me” and its 25-week travel to the top.

Here’s an updated look at the songs with the most weeks needed to reach No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:

Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1

  • 35, “Step in the Name of Love,” R. Kelly, Dec. 6, 2003
  • 33, “Free Mind,” Tems, Nov. 12, 2022
  • 31, “You,” Lloyd featuring Lil Wayne, Feb. 17, 2007
  • 29, “I Wanna Know,” Joe, April 1, 2000
  • 29, “Snap Yo Fingers,” Lil Jon featuring E-40 & Sean Paul of The YoungbloodZ, July 29, 2006
  • 29, “There Goes My Baby,” Usher, Aug. 14, 2010
  • 25, “Needed Me,” Rihanna

“Free Mind,” from Tems’ 2020 EP For Broken Ears, debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charted dated April 2, amid the Nigerian singer-songwriter’s increasing prominence in the U.S. In 2021, she featured on a pair of top 40 hits on the all-genre multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 – Wizkid’s “Essence,” which earned a boost after a Justin Bieber remix helped the song reach No. 9 that August, and on Drake’s Certified Lover Boy cut “Fountains,” which reached No. 26.

Her profile kept progressing thanks to a supporting turn alongside Drake on Future’s “Wait for U,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in April 2022. As fans’ turned to more of her catalog, “Free Mind” emerged as a favorite, sparking its official radio promotion to R&B/hip-hop and rhythmic formats. On Rhythmic Airplay, the song reached a No. 10 peak last month and slides 12-19 on the newest list.

10 Nov 2022

Pentatonix Rings in Ninth Top 10 on Holiday Albums Chart

Pentatonix celebrates its ninth top 10-charting effort on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart as the vocal group’s latest release, Holidays Around the World, debuts at No. 6 on the Nov. 12-dated list. The act has been very successful on the tally through the years, having debuted a new album on the list nearly every year from 2012 onwards (missing only in 2013 and 2015).

All nine of Pentatonix’s chart entries have reached the top 10, with four hitting No. 1: That’s Christmas to Me (2014), A Pentatonix Christmas (2016), Christmas Is Here! (2018) and The Best of Pentatonix Christmas (2019).

Holidays Around the World starts with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 3, according to Luminate. Of that sum, traditional album sales comprise 3,500, while the remaining 500 units were generated largely by streaming activity of the set’s 12 songs.

Also debuting on Top Holiday Albums: Neil Diamond’s new compilation A Neil Diamond Christmas (No. 13), Anne Wilson’s The Manger (No. 45) and Louis Armstrong and Friends’ The Best of Louis Armstrong: 20th Century Masters The Christmas Collection (No. 47).

Meanwhile, the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas continues at No. 1 for a 14th nonconsecutive week on top. The set earned 17,000 equivalent album units in the Oct. 28 – Nov. 3 tracking frame (up 89%) thanks to the album’s usual surge in popularity around Halloween (as the set is a hybrid Halloween and Christmas effort).

The Top Holiday Albums chart ranks the 50 most popular seasonal albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each units equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. The seasonal Top Holiday Albums returned for another festive season with the Oct. 22-dated list and will continue as part of Billboard’s weekly chart menu until it dashes away in January 2023.

10 Nov 2022

Six Years After His Death, Juan Gabriel’s First Posthumous Album Arrives: Son Ivan Gabriel & Collaborators Talk Putting ‘Los Duo 3’ Together

Juan Gabriel was so clear about how he wanted Los Dúo 3 to sound that he recorded all his parts and had a list of guest singers. Six years after his death, his heirs and team are finally presenting the last project the prolific Mexican singer-songwriter was working on: a third album of duets of hits, including the singles “Déjame Vivir” with Anahí, “Ya” with Banda El Recodo and La India, and “Mía un Año” with Eslabón Armado, as well as the focus track “De Mí Enamórate” with Danna Paola. 

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Los Dúos 3 makes its debut on Thursday (November 10) at 8:00 pm EDT under Música Eterna / Virgin Music US Latin. Produced by Gustavo Farías, a longtime collaborator of Juan Gabriel, the 14-track set filled with pop, ballad, ranchera, mariachi and banda songs also includes “Por Qué Me Haces Llorar” with Gloria Trevi, “He Venido a Pedirte Perdón” with Mon Laferte, “Luna tras Luna” with George Benson, a bilingual version of “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” with John Fogerty, and “Venecia Sin Ti,” with the late French-Armenian artist Charles Aznavour, who died in 2018. 

“My dad’s plan was always to record with these people. The list was already there, he knew who he wanted to do the duets with, he knew the genres, he wanted to try new things. All the ideas were his, we simply took his ideas and produced them the best we could,” his son Iván Gabriel tells Billboard Español about the project. The tracklist is rounded out by “Cada Vez y Cada Vez” with Pepe Aguilar, “Nada Más Decídete” with Angela Aguilar, “Yo No Nací Para Amar” with Lasso, “Te Doy 8 Días” with La Adictiva, and “Déjame” with Luciano Pereyra. 

Juan Gabriel,

Juan Gabriel, “Los Dúo 3”

Courtesy Photo

The plans were put on hold temporarily when the 66-year-old star, known throughout Latin America for classics like “Querida” and “Amor Eterno,” died on August 28, 2016 at his home in Santa Monica, California, in the midst of a tour. “Unfortunately, when he passed away, several things came to a halt and we had to review everything, we had to — I wouldn’t say start from scratch, but take our time so we didn’t come up with something incomplete,” Ivan explains.

Inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame in 1996, Juan Gabriel built a legacy as a multifaceted artist over a more-than-four-decade career, recording songs in genres as diverse as ranchero, ballad, pop and bolero as well as producing other artists. Among his many accomplishments, the “Divo de Juárez” sold more than 150 million records, wrote over 1,800 songs, released 34 studio albums, was a six-time Grammy nominee, won three Latin Grammys posthumously and had seven No. 1s on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart. (“Yo No Sé Qué Me Pasa” even led the first edition of that chart in 1986.)

For Farías, who also produced Los Dúo and Los Dúo 2, being able to complete the album without his star was “a very profound emotional and professional experience.” 

“After 6 years since starting this ambitious project, to be finally able to listen to it, finished and just as Juan Gabriel and I imagined it in the summer of 2016, I relived memories and emotions in his studio in Cancun,” continues the producer in a statement, praising the work of everyone involved and stating that he had “Juan Gabriel’s musical desires in mind in every arrangement and song.” 

When it came to choosing “De Mí Enamórate” as the focus track, Iván explains that his father always wanted to “push” that song — which was originally recorded by Daniela Romo in 1986, when it topped the Hot Latin Songs chart for 14 weeks — “a little more… and I think it turned out very well for us!”, he adds enthusiastically about the new version with Danna Paola. “Well, I can’t honestly take any of the credit, it was all my dad.” 

Víctor González, President Virgin Muisic Latin America & Iberian Peninsula, says in a statement that “seeing this album evolve as Juan Gabriel imagined it is a goal that we set for several years. It is an honor for me to be able to collaborate in preserving the great musical legacy of Don Alberto,” he adds, referring to Juan Gabriel by his real name, Alberto Aguilera Valadez. “I’m sure he would be proud of the production of each of the songs.” 

Los Dúos 3 arrives a few days after the premiere of “Cirque Musica Querida,” a circus show that celebrates the life and work of Juan Gabriel, staged with the endorsement of his son and heir in Mexico City. It’s all part of a strategy to keep his legacy alive. 

“For me it is obviously very important, because my father left this to us — he left this to his fans, his family — and it is our job and our duty to make it grow as much as possible, to celebrate it as best as possible,” says Iván of his father’s body of work. And there is still more to come: Without providing any details, Iván reveals “there is a lot of material with which we continue to work — so I think that many more beautiful things are on the way.” 

10 Nov 2022

Billy Porter Will Immortalize His Iconic 2020 Grammys Look With a Madame Tussauds Wax Figure

The category is Madame Tussauds wax figure realness, and Billy Porter is scoring 10s across the board!

On Thursday (Nov. 10), Madame Tussauds and Porter announced on Instagram that the Pose star’s likeness would be the next addition to the chain’s long-running Times Square location. “Madame Tussauds New York is in the process of making a brand new wax figure, and it just might be the most fabulous one yet,” the company wrote. “Coming in 2023, the category is: BILLY PORTER!”

In the photos, fans can see the “Children” singer standing on a pedestal and posing while a group of artists take his measurements. Fans of Porter will quickly recognize the turquoise jumpsuit he’s wearing — the look famously first appeared at the 2020 Grammy Awards, where Porter paired it with wide-brimmed hat that had a motorized curtain of crystalline fringe to cover his face.

In a statement released with the photos, Porter expressed his excitement at being all dolled-up in perpetuity. “I am humbly honored to be receiving my very own wax figure at Madame Tussauds,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure to work with the artists to make this dream come true and I can’t wait to see my twin in New York!”

Tussauds said that they decided to announce Porter’s figure ahead of World Kindness Day on Nov. 13 as a means of honoring Porter’s “vulnerability and supportive nature to all communities.”

2022 saw plenty of other accomplishments for Porter. Along with returning to his music career with the release of his latest single “Stranger Things,” the star spent much of the year promoting his directorial debut Anything’s Possible, a film following a young woman as she navigates her life as a trans high-schooler.

Check out announcement of Porter’s new wax figure below:

10 Nov 2022

Fred Again.., for the First Time: ‘Actual Life 3’ Debuts on Top Dance/Electronic Albums Chart

Fred ​Again.. bows at No. 3 on Billboard‘s Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart (dated Nov. 12) with Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022). The first entry for the London-based producer/singer/DJ (real name Fred Gibson) earned 7,000 equivalent album units in its first tracking week (Oct. 28-Nov. 3), according to Luminate.

The set also starts at No. 1 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, marking Fred Again..’s first leader on any Billboard list.

Additionally, Fred Again.. scores the top debut, at No. 18, on Billboard‘s multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with “Clara (The Night Is Dark),” which drew 1 million U.S. streams. It’s the fifth, and highest charting, Actual Life 3 track to make the tally so far, joining “Delilah (Pull Me Out of This)” (25-23 this week); “Bleu (Better With Time)” (50-33, nearing matching its No. 30 high on Oct. 1); “Kammy (Like I Do)” (48-45); and “Danielle (Smile on My Face)” (No. 45, Oct. 8).

In total, Fred Again.. has notched 11 Hot Dance/Electronic Songs entries, beginning with “Don’t Judge Me,” with FKA Twigs and Headie One (No. 23, February 2021). His collab with Swedish House Mafia, “Turn on the Lights Again..,” featuring Future, is his top-charting hit (No. 16, this August).

Tipper traipses onto Top Dance/Electronic Albums with Marble Hunting (No. 19). The set opens with 2,000 equivalent album units earned, nearly all from physical sales. It’s Tipper’s third trip to the chart and first in close to six years, after EP Flunked (No. 15, January 2017) and Forward Escape (N​o. 20, May 2014).

Returning to Hot​ Dance/Electronic Songs, Becky Hill and David Guetta return at No. 8 with “Remember,” sparked by new viral activity, the release of Hill’s solo versions and the rerelease of the original and Guetta’s VIP remix. It marks a new peak for the track, which previously reached No. 14 in July 2021 (ahead of Hill’s Only Honest on the Weekend album, released that August; it hit a No. 4 best on Top Dance/Electronic Albums the previous two weeks and ranks at No. 6 this week).

On Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, “Remember” becomes Hill’s second top 10 and Guetta’s 19th, the fourth-most among all acts dating to the chart’s January 2013 inception, after only Kygo (24), The Chainsmokers (22) and Calvin Harris (20)​.​

Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, Audien earns his fifth top 10 with “Drifting Away,” featuring Joe Jury, who (the verdict is in) gets his first (13-8). “Drifting” is drawing core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, WZFL (Revolution 93.5) Miami and iHeartRadio’s Evolution Network, among other supporters.

Plus, OneRepublic adds its sixth Dance/Mix Show Airplay top 10 with “I Ain’t Worried” (16-10). (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)

10 Nov 2022

‘Britain’s Got Talent’ Judge David Walliams Accused of Making ‘Sexually Explicit’ Remarks About Contestants

Britain’s Got Talent judge David Walliams has been accused of making “derogatory and sexually explicit remarks” about contestants on the talent show.

According to an exposé in The Guardian, Walliams — one of the U.K.’s best-known TV personalities and a hugely successful children’s author — was heard in a recording of one episode of the show repeatedly calling one contestant the C-word and saying that another “thinks you want to f— her.”

According to the report, the comments were made during an audition show filmed at the London Palladium in January 2020 and had been picked up by microphones used to record conversations between the judges, for which the paper then saw the transcript.

Lawyers for Walliams and Thames TV, which produces Britain’s Got Talent, told The Guardian that the comments were part of a private conversation never intended for broadcast.

In one incident, the transcript claimed that Walliams described an older performer — after he had failed an audition and made a joke about the judge — as “a c—” three times. In another, after a female contestant walked offstage, Walliams described her as being “like the slightly boring girl you meet in the pub that thinks you want to f— them, but you don’t,” according to the transcript.

In a statement, Walliams said: “I would like to apologize to the people I made disrespectful comments about during breaks in filming for Britain’s Got Talent in 2020. These were private conversations and — like most conversations with friends — were never intended to be shared. Nevertheless, I am sorry.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

10 Nov 2022

XXXTentacion’s ‘Moonlight’ Video Joins the Billion Views Club

It’s been four years since the death of Jahseh Onfroy, better known as XXXTentacion. But even after his unexpected passing following a shooting in Deerfield Beach, Fla., on June 18, 2018, at age 20, the rapper’s art is still reaching milestones.

YouTube announced on Thursday (Nov. 10) that XXXTentacion’s video for his single “Moonlight” has reached a billion views. While the visual — which arrived in October 2018 — was directed by JMP, it was written and creative directed by X himself.

The video show the rapper wearing headphones under the moonlight in the middle of an outdoor party with some friends. In certain scenes, X is walking through the gathering — which is set in the wilderness — flashing a smile. At the end of the video, a message memorializing the artist comes on the screen: “Energy Never Dies. He is Amongst Us. Long Live Jah!”

“Moonlight” topped out at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s also not the only song of the rapper to reach a billion views on YouTube. His smash hit “Sad!” had also reached the milestone mark on the video platform, and was his only single to top the Hot 100.

Music sales for the MC increased by 1,603% in the U.S. following his death. X is the first soloist in a lead role to posthumously reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 since Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” featuring Diddy and Mase in 1997.

Check out the “Moonlight” music video above.

10 Nov 2022

Fridayy Says His Features on DJ Khaled’s ‘God Did’ and Lil Baby’s ‘Forever’ Were ‘The Perfect Introduction’

Rising Philadelphia phenom Fridayy is in a rare class of hitmakers: the kind with two top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — alongside some of the biggest names in hip-hop and R&B of the 21st century — both of which were released before he even dropped an EP of his own.

The 25-year-old artist born Francis LeBlanc — a singer, writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist — grew up influenced by both R&B and gospel, with his mighty voice, modern touch, studio proficiency and versatility earning him production credits with Chris Brown and Rae Sremmurd in June. DJ Khaled called his name for an even bigger opportunity soon after, featuring him as a vocalist on his epic God Did title track, a star-studded affair that also included appearances from John Legend, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne and Jay-Z. The track, which Fridayy also co-produced, earned a No. 17 debut on the Sept. 10-dated Hot 100, marking his first entry on the all-genre songs chart.

But perhaps the biggest look Fridayy has received amid his breakout year came in October with “Forever,” from Lil Baby’s Billboard 200-topping It’s Only Me. The song, which boasts impassioned bars from Lil Baby, is based on a collaboration of Fridayy’s with singer-rapper Vory that the latter posted to Instagram. Upon hearing it, Lil Baby demanded to know who the piercing voice on the clip’s hook belonged to — and after Fridayy elevated its production (with help from Bizness Boi and Fortune), it became an early fan favorite on It’s Only Me, debuting at No. 8 on the Hot 100.

Still riding the momentum from his two spotlight-stealing guest appearances, Fridayy talks with Billboard about the different receptions to those two top 20 hits — as well as his recent debut EP Lost in Melody, released Oct. 21, and what other collaborations are currently in the works.

How did you first get hooked up with Lil Baby? 

It was actually through an artist named Vory. The song was originally me and Vory — I was on the hook and Vory was on the verses — and Vory posted it on Instagram. And then Lil Baby hit up Vory, like, “Who’s singing on the hook?” And then Vory was like, “That’s Fridayy.” And Lil Baby was like, “Man, I need that hook.” That’s how it came about: Vory showed love and helped me out on that part. 

Had you ever gotten in contact with Lil Baby before? Did you have any kind of relationship with him?

Nah, I talked to him after, though. He FaceTimed me and all that, we talked. And then we was just choppin’ it up about the record.

At first, when I produced it, it was just piano. And then when I got on the phone with him, he was like, “Bro, I need like a beat.” He said it was so crazy, he forgot it ain’t had no beat! So I was like, “Bro, I’mma add the beat for you. And I’mma send it back to you tonight.” So I called my brothers Bizness Boi and Fortune — two producers that produced on it with me — and we got that right. 

Did he give you any kind of instruction on what he wanted it to sound like, or did you just take it from what was already there on the song? 

Yeah, at first I sent him like a couple ideas. But it was similar to, like, trap drums. But when I sent him it, he was like, “Bro, I want it more simple. You know what I mean? I don’t want too much going on.” So he kinda explained it to me how he wanted it, when it was like, a kick and a snare — just some simple vibes, not too much hi-hats. Once he told me that, we got it in the first try. 

Had you been a fan of Lil Baby’s before this?

Of course. Like, that My Turn album? Even before that! I had been listening to Baby for a minute, since 2017, around “My Dawg,” around like “Freestyle” days. He one of them rappers today that like everybody look up to — my little cousin, my brothers look up to [him], you know what I mean? So that’s crazy to me. 

How does being on a song with Lil Baby compare to being on a song with legends like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne and Rick Ross?

That’s a great question right there, bro. It’s like — the Jay-Z record, it was cool, it was great. Them the legends. But that one was more of, like, icon music-wise. And then Lil Baby one was like… for now. ‘Cause my little cousins are not listening to “God Did” every day. But the Lil Baby one? It opened me up to the youth.

Do you feel like those two songs prepared audiences for what to expect with you with your solo stuff? Or do you feel like that’s more just one side to you and there’s a lot more of you still to come on the EP and whatever else follows?

No, I feel like it was a good balance. Because “God Did” is really like a part of who I am. Even if you listen to the song, you hear the choirs, you hear the three-part harmony, you hear the piano. And if you listen to my EP, that’s how I’m coming on: with piano, choirs [and] soulful notes. So “God Did” was definitely like the perfect introduction to me. And “Forever” was like the perfect introduction to me, too. Just to show that side, with like the females and all that. Which, I got like two records [like that] on my EP.

How has the reaction been to the EP so far? Are you happy with the sort of response you’ve gotten to it? 

Man, bro. I ain’t even have no expectations for my EP… So when I woke up the next day [after releasing it], I’m like, “Lemme just check the charts.” I’m thinking maybe I’d be like No. 199 R&B — like, late, late in the joint. I woke up, we was like No. 30 R&B on iTunes! I’m like… the f–k? And the sh-t kept going up! Right now, we at No. 11 R&B on iTunes! It went up to 7! Right now it’s sitting at 11.

But just to see my album next to SZA, next to The Weeknd, next to Summer Walker… it’s like, “damn!” I just look it at every day, like, “What the f–k?” 

What is up next for you? Do you have any singles, any features, maybe an album coming?

Yeah, you already know. We working on the next project. We don’t know if it’s an album or an EP, but I’m already working on that. And I’m producing for a lot of [people in] the industry. I got two songs on Lil Tjay’s project coming out. I just produced a track on G Herbo’s album that just came out. You know, I’m still producing and writing for a lot of people. And then, it’s like, a lot of features coming, too. Just expect a lot of Fridayy features, for sure.

A version of this story originally appeared in the Nov. 5, 2022, issue of Billboard.

10 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift Dropped 2 More Dance Floor-Ready ‘Anti-Hero’ Remixes

Taylor Swift is allowing fans to dance through their sorrows by unveiling not one, but two more remixes of her Midnights track, “Anti-Hero.”

“Take your self loathing to the dancefloor,” Swift tweeted on Thursday (Nov. 10) to announce the new spins on the song by DJs Kungs and Jayda G.

The song is currently only available as a digital single for purchase on Swift’s website. However, the previously released Bleachers collaborative version of the track was made available on streaming services the day after release.

Just a day before releasing the two new remixes, Swift unveiled Roosevelt’s breezy take on the track, posting it along with a clip from the “Anti-Hero” music video, in which her future children and daughter-in-law battle it out while laying the Grammy winning superstar to rest.

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The vulnerable “Anti-Hero” is continuing its groundbreaking success as it spends a second week this week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. A week earlier, it debuted at the summit, as Swift made history as the first artist to claim the survey’s entire top 10 in a single frame.

The single also posts a second week atop the Streaming Songs chart; jumps 9-4 on Digital Song Sales; and dips 13-14 on Radio Songs. (As previously reported, this week’s Billboard airplay charts are the first using Mediabase-monitored data; this week’s Radio Songs chart incorporates data from former monitoring service BDS for Oct. 28-30 and from Mediabase for Oct. 31-Nov. 3, with Mediabase data to power the survey going forward).

10 Nov 2022

2022 CMAs: Best Moments You Didn’t See on TV   

The 2022 CMA Awards, which aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 9), were ablaze with spectacular moments onscreen, including trophy wins for Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson. Performances included Brothers Osborne with The War and Treaty, stellar tributes to Alan Jackson and Loretta Lynn and a searing performance from Chris Stapleton and Patty Loveless on “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.” Plus, there was an intimate rendering of “Dear Miss Loretta” from Carly Pearce, accompanied by Ricky Skaggs and Sonya Isaacs.

Backstage, on the red carpet and in the press room, artists had plenty to say. Here are some of the best moments you didn’t see on the CMA Awards’ ABC broadcast.

Brothers Osborne Discuss Their Winning Moment With Wynonna Judd, John Osborne Reflects on Baby News

During their acceptance speech for vocal duo of the year, Brothers Osborne’s John Osborne revealed that he and his wife Lucie Silvas are expecting twins. Backstage in the press room, Osborne told reporters that the onstage reveal was an impromptu one.

“I guess I got nervous and didn’t know what to say…Wynonna is standing right next to us, and you look up and you see the clock going and I’m so nervous right now,” he said. “You never prepare a speech, you never expect to win, and I looked over and I saw Lucie sitting over there and my heart filled up…and I just wanted to tell the world. I hope that’s okay, Lucie. I’m sorry if it wasn’t.”

T.J. called accepting the vocal duo of the year honor — with Wynonna Judd presenting it — “mind-blowing.” “I’m still processing that moment…it feels in those moments very like a carrying of the torch.”

John added, “She is iconic, The Judds have been iconic, very important to the country music story.”

Morgan Evans Discusses His New Song, “Over For You”

Not long after news was revealed of Evans’ split with Kelsea Ballerini, the country singer-songwriter performed a new song at Australia’s CMC Rocks festival and the ballad instantly connected with listeners. On the CMA Awards red carpet, Evans told Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly about the song.

“Yeah, breakups suck and it’s been a rough few months,” Evans said, “But writing this song kind of helped me sort through a lot of that.” He said he didn’t have any expectations when he first performed the song, but says “I felt like I needed to get it off my chest. The reaction to that was kind of overwhelming.”

Lainey Wilson Talks Having Her Father With Her at the CMA Awards

Wilson had a big night at the CMAs, picking up two wins out of six nominations. It was extra special because she brought her father to the awards with her, after he has spent months battling a health scare.

“This actually was a dream of my daddy’s when he was a little boy,” Wilson told reporters backstage after her wins. “He used to roll a picnic table out to the side of the highway, and pretend he was Glen Campbell on top of the picnic table and play guitar for the cars passing by. This was a full-circle moment for me and my family. I’ll tell you what, he’s grinning ear to ear and it’s the most I’ve seen him smile in months since he got sick. Of course, this right here means the world to me, but having him here tonight with me meant just as much.”

Luke Combs Says He Was “So Nervous” About a Possible Second Entertainer of the Year Win

Backstage in the press room after picking up his second CMA entertainer of the year win (in addition to album of the year for Growin’ Up), Luke Combs told reporters he was nervous about his EOY nomination this year.

“Last year when I won [entertainer of the year] a bunch of people reached out to me after winning entertainer [of the year] last year, and said, ‘Hey man, just enjoy tonight. It may never happen again and it’s the pinnacle of success that you can have in this business.’ I’m not going to lie to you, I was so nervous tonight about it.” He recalled how, earlier in the week, he had “this somber thought of, ‘Man, this could be the last two days that I’m entertainer of the year, ever. I may never win this again.’ So really, it’s just being present in the moment you’re in now. My wife [Nicole] is here and our son [four-month-old Tex] is at home. My parents are still around, just being thankful for the things that I have right now and enjoying the moment.”

Wynonna Judd Meets Katy Perry, Reveals “Tricks of the Trade”

The CMA Awards red carpet featured the meeting of two towering musical talents, Katy Perry and Wynonna Judd. In an interview with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly, Perry gestured toward the country music luminary and said, “This is who I aspire…the glitter in the hair, the full beat,” later adding, “just your awesome energy and personality, I just love you.” To which Wynonna replied, “It comes from being so poor, this can of glitter spray was like $1.99, I swear to God…It’s what we did when we were poor and now that we have money we still do it because we know where we come from.”

“Tricks of the trade,” Perry added.

The War and Treaty Reveals the Influence of The Civil Wars

Husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty performed on the CMA Awards stage alongside Brothers Osborne, performing The Rolling Stones’ classic “It’s Only Rock ‘N Roll (But I Like It).” The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter have been capturing the attention of audiences for the past few years with their sterling vocal harmonies. Trotter Jr. told reporters backstage at the CMAs that they looked to one duo in particular to help shape their own tightly woven harmonies.

“We’ve always sung with our families but being able to sing intimately as husband and wife, we have a few years under our belts, but we had to look to other duos…Tanya and I, we took literally two years studying The Civil Wars, Joy [Williams] and John Paul White. They were electric and they had something so unique. We were floored by how they were able to captivate every audience with a guitar and two voices. We really studied them and realized it’s all about the intimacy, not just intimacy as lovers but two human beings saying let’s flow and roll together.”

The War and Treaty also released their EP Blank Page ahead of the CMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 9).

Cody Johnson Discusses His Single of the Year Win

Backstage in the press area, Johnson discussed his music video of the year and single of the year wins (both for “‘Til You Can’t”), as well as his male vocalist of the year nomination.

“If I’m being honest, single of the year was the one I wanted to win. That’s a team victory,” he told reporters backstage. “That’s Warner Music Nashville pushing my first No. 1, double-platinum single on Billboard, and it couldn’t have gone better. As far as male vocalist goes, when you’re in a category with Chris Stapleton, you kind of already know who’s going to win, right? So I’m feeling pretty happy tonight.”

Jordan Davis Talks About Sharing a CMA Award Win With His Brother

Davis took home the song of the year honor for “Buy Dirt,” featuring Luke Bryan, which Davis wrote with his brother Jacob Davis as well as another set of brothers, Matt and Josh Jenkins. Backstage in the media room, Davis shared with reporters how special it is to win a song of the year honor alongside his brother.

“We’ve had some moments backstage to kind of drink this in. We both moved to town to write songs and just try to make a living doing that. We’d have been crazy to think that this was even attainable, but now that we have it, and I have it with my brother — I shared a room with the guy until I was 16 years old, so we’re pretty close. This is something that nobody’s going to be able to take away from us.”

Davis also shared that he is grateful for Bryan’s friendship, calling Bryan “not only someone I look up to professionally, but somebody that personally has become a buddy, a guy that I can reach out and talk to about whatever I need to talk to him, and how tough this business is.”