Podcasts
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Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson has a simple explanation for the band’s successful 35-year career: “I think the secret recipe is giving a s–t,” he tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast.
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Of course, there’s more to Barenaked Ladies than that. The Canadian four-piece has earned a reputation for crafting witty, offbeat and melodic music with such songs as “One Week” and “If I Had $1,000,000.” And humor, too — that definitely comes across in both the music and the conversation with Robertson. But there’s a reason the band still plays to packed amphitheaters and arenas throughout North America three and a half decades after its first performance — “a fundraiser for a local food bank,” according to Robertson.
“I think every show we’ve ever done, the audience has never questioned that we want to be there, that we know where we are, that we know who we’re playing for and that the show isn’t going to be like the night before and it’s not going to be like the next day,” says Robertson. “There’s so much spontaneity and improv in the show. I know the songs are going to be great, you know? We’re a good band. We’ve played together for a long time. We’ve rehearsed a lot. Every soundcheck every day is a 90-minute rehearsal where we work on anything that we think needs work.”
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Putting on a great live show has given the band license to play with their shows’ set lists. Last summer, says Robertson, the band played eight songs from its 14th studio album, In Flight, that was released Sept. 15 on Raisin’ Records. As long as the band plays the songs people want to hear most — including “If I Had $1,000,000,” “The Old Apartment,” “It’s All Been Done,” “Theme From Big Bang Theory” and “Pinch Me” — the audience is receptive of newer material.
“My countryman [musician] Kim Mitchell always used to say what he does is rock n’ roll and customer service,” Robertson says with a chuckle. “I believe firmly that you owe your audience a certain number of the songs they came expecting to hear. Now, I think we’re also really lucky because we have a really good relationship with our hits. There’s nothing that was a hit for the band that we were reluctant about, or it wasn’t a song written by somebody else that was forced upon us by the record company. So we have, we have decades of songs that were popular that we still really like. So it’s really easy for us to build a setlist and go, ‘You know what, if we give them these 10 songs, we can kind of do anything.’
“And we also remind ourselves that this band broke in America playing two-hour shows where people knew no songs,” he continues. “We just had a strong enough live show, and a good enough understanding of how to entertain people, that I think we can get away with a lot.”
Listen to the entire interview with Robertson on Behind the Setlist at the player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart or Amazon Music.
Miley Cyrus and Pharrell reportedly worked on their newly released song “Doctor (Work It Out)” circa her 2013 Bangerz era — and now, more than a decade later, they’ve gifted fans with the upbeat single and a feel-good video to match. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about where […]
Last month, acclaimed journalist, producer and radio host Jenny Eliscu launched the 100th edition of her LSQ podcast featuring an interview with Samuel T. Herring, frontman for the band Future Islands. Then she released episode 101 with Brittany Howard. And then episode 102 with Idles frontman Joe Talbot.
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“For what it’s worth, episode 103, with Dhani Harrison, comes out next week on March 5,” she notes. “And I’ve got upcoming episodes with Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ty Segall and Gossip’s Beth Ditto, among other awesome ones this spring.”
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For a good deal of music fans, that the show has lasted this long with no signs of slowing, it’s worth a lot.
SiriusXM host since 2006 and former Rolling Stone staffer and contributor for over a decade, Eliscu has built a prestigious reputation for herself as an extensively knowledgable journalist passionate about music and championing artists. Launched in 2017, LSQ‘s milestone — and the episodes since — is a feat of longevity at a time when music journalism is undergoing downsizing and traffic-driven celebrity chasing. Independently produced, these long-form interviews are a rarity these days in any medium, as well as a service to artists and audiences seeking more insight behind the music.
Looking back at the list of names Eliscu has interviewed on the podcast, it’s a who’s-who of music’s most influential artists in and around indie rock: Conor Oberst, Jack Antonoff, Courtney Barnett, Steven Van Zandt, Angel Olsen, Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Johnny Marr, Tegan and Sara, Caroline Polachek, Leon Bridges, Sharon Van Etten and many more. But for LSQ, what’s made it such an important destination for artists is her investment in each interview, delivering lengthy, in-depth conversations with the kind of casual tenor that’s more like close friends getting deep than journalist and subject. It’s no coincidence. Many of her subjects either are friends or become so afterwards.
“Talking to Jenny Eliscu makes you feel like the most intriguing person in the room thinks you’re the most interesting person in the world,” says Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. “With her years of experience, Jenny isn’t afraid to go deep, but you trust the process because along with great questions and exceptional listening, she peppers in memorable insights from her vast knowledge and love for music. Jenny knows more about the music that influenced most of us to become artists in the first place than we do, and so no interview is ever typical. Somehow you learn something about yourself in the process.”
“I first met Jenny well over a decade ago, and honestly, she made me feel so at ease instantly that it didn’t feel like the first meeting at all,” adds Beach House’s Victoria Legrand. “Felt like we had always known each other. Interviews with her have always felt like natural conversations, and as simple as that may sound, it is a true skill. Her deep love of art, of music, of love – and her deep care and support for the relationships forged is incredibly beautiful. She is a pillar of strength and peace and I am lucky as an artist to call her a friend.”
“Jenny has a remarkable way of disarming an artist in an interview,” says Christian Stavros, founder of Little Operation Management, whose artists Angel Olsen, Devendra Banhart, King Tuff and Bethany Cosentino have all been featured on LSQ. “I think it’s because she too is an artist in the way she approaches interviews. She has a way of connecting and relating, but also has a directness to her questions that bring real insight to the process. I’m a huge fan and have the utmost respect for her talent. And I know, for the artists I work with who she has had on her podcast … all would agree that it never felt like work but more like a great hang.”
Outside of LSQ and her SiriusXM hosting, Eliscu executive produced the 2021 Netflix documentary Britney Vs. Spears and is currently in production on another major music documentary due later this year.
She spoke with Billboard about passing 100 episodes with LSQ, and the broader music media landscape.
If you listen back to old episodes of the podcast, what do you notice most? How has the show changed?
When I started the series back in 2017, the goal was to create a space for longer audio interviews with artists. I’ve been fortunate to have awesome outlets for other types of interviews over the years – cover stories for Rolling Stone, festival chats for Sirius XM, and everything in between – but I still yearned to capture more thoughtful, extensive conversations where the artists could talk about their earlier life and the moments that forged their approach to their craft. I wanted to know about childhood music lessons and first concerts and early attempts at songwriting and all that evolutionary stuff. And getting answers to those questions continues to be my favorite part of this podcast.
I often think of a story the National’s Aaron Dessner shared in his interview for episode two, about when he and his brother Bryce were six years old, how they discovered a dusty old drum set in the furnace room of the basement, and it was this 1959 blue sparkle Slingerland that their dad had gotten for his bar mitzvah. He had been a successful jazz drummer before the twins were born, and this was how they found out about that piece of family history. Aaron started playing drums immediately thereafter. Or the story Michelle Branch told in episode 50 about how she was so tenacious as an unsigned teenage singer-songwriter that she drove a neighbor’s golf cart to a Sedona restaurant to hand-off her demo tape to some record exec she heard was dining there. Or Sam Herring from Future Islands in episode 100, remembering the first time he ever tried to freestyle, at age 14, alongside one of his favorite KRS-One tracks. “You just have to start and don’t stop,” his older brother had told him. He freestyled for about 20 seconds and then jumped up and down on his bed, elated by having done it. I love those kinds of stories!
All of which is to say that the show itself really hasn’t changed much since it started, because I still really enjoy doing this particular kind of interview, and there are so many other artists I’d like to ask about those things. I have, however, learned from experience that it’s better to stick to one interview per episode (some earlier episodes had two). I also spent a lot of time in the first few seasons trying to include vintage audio from my pre-podcast archive, but as a one-person operation, that proved too challenging to do on a regular basis.
How do you select artists for your interviews? What makes for a good interview subject?
The selection process is really just about taking in the artist’s work and learning about their backstory and then following my instincts from there. Sometimes I’ve already interviewed the person in the past, and so I’ve had a chance to see how smart or funny or sensitive or charismatic they are, and I can imagine a longer interview being interesting. But I think all artists are potentially great interview subjects, if you can put them at ease enough to open up.
You’ve worked all over music media and journalism. What do you like most about the podcast format?
I love that podcasting itself has so many different formats, whether it’s immersive, high-production storytelling or more informal chat shows or a straightforward interview series like LSQ. I love that podcasting still feels a bit more DIY and vaudevillian, in that you can sort of put out episodes of whatever length you want, however often or rarely you want, and that’s fine. And podcast listeners are the kind of devoted audience who support more nuanced, niche programming, and I’m always stoked to be part of that exchange.
What do you think is key to your success as an interviewer? We have quotes from artists and their management praising you. How do you create this kind of comfortable setting?
I think the key is openness and authentic curiosity. It can be tempting to read or listen to every interview the person has done, but I prefer to err on the side of less preparation, so that I am genuinely asking questions without preconceptions about the answers. And I try to convey a sense of ease about the interview process, to make the experience feel more like a conversation over coffee with a friend who cares enough to listen closely and ask thoughtful follow-up questions.
You’ve been covering music for almost three decades now. The music industry has changed drastically in that time from CDs to piracy to streaming to social media… What about your job — aside from where you’ve done it — has changed? Why do you think it’s important to host a venue for these kinds of long-form interviews?
Yeah, the music industry and the media landscape around it have gone through so much since I started back in the ’90s. It was amazing to work at Rolling Stone in the early to mid-aughts, before the print business really started wilting, because you could get a substantive amount of time allotted with the artist you were writing about, and have a couple of focused, long interviews. But as the web and social media took over, things shifted and artists didn’t have to rely on that kind of press. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s ultimately better for artists to be able to communicate to audiences without media control, but it’s definitely changed things in major ways. For a while it felt like there would be fewer opportunities for longer journalistic undertakings, but I’ve found that both podcasting and documentary film have opened up exciting avenues to share artists’ stories in greater depth. That’s the next frontier for me: Collaborating with artists to help tell the stories they care about, in ways that allow them to retain authorship.
Would you share some names still on your LSQ artist wish list?
Erykah Badu, PJ Harvey, Mac DeMarco, Mitski, Thundercat, Jarvis Cocker, Jonathan Richman, Run The Jewels, Fiona Apple and so many more.
Dolly has spoken! Last week, Dolly Parton posted a message to social media congratulating Beyoncé for her first Hot Country Songs chart-topper with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” writing, “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album. So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to […]
With her dreamy pop songs and sky-high whistle tones, Ariana Grande has drawn comparisons to Mariah Carey since her music debut back in 2013. Of course, in the decade-plus since, Grande has made a massive, marquee name for herself — so it’s a bit of a full-circle moment that the two chart-topping divas have joined […]
Three hip-hop-connected podcasts – 50 Years of Hip-Hop, Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D and Questlove Supreme – are nominated for podcast of the year at the 2024 Ambie Awards.
The other nominees in that category are Embedded: Taking Cover, Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University, Ghost Story, Next Year in Moscow, Post Reports: The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop, Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas and The Very Worst Thing that Could Possibly Happen. The latter podcast led all nominees with five nominations.
Questlove Supreme is also nominated for best music podcast at the 2024 iHeartPodcast Awards. Those nominations were announced on Feb. 7.
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The fourth annual Awards for Excellence in Audio (The Ambies) will take place on Tuesday, March 26 at the JW Marriott LA Live Los Angeles.
The ceremony will highlight 192 nominees across 27 categories with winners to be selected by voting members of The Podcast Academy (TPA), a not-for-profit professional membership organization that celebrates excellence in podcasting.
A Governors Award and an Impact Award will also be presented at the March 26 event. Eligible new members will be able to vote to determine this year’s winners if applications are submitted by Feb. 19. For more information about joining, go here.
“On behalf of The Podcast Academy, we congratulate all of this year’s remarkable nominees that have graced the podcasting world,” Donald Albright, chairperson of TPA said in a statement. “They embody the essence of excellence in audio storytelling, captivating audiences with their creativity, passion, and dedication.”
Here are the nominees in selected categories at the 2024 Ambie Awards.
Podcast of the year
50 Years of Hip-Hop
Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D
Embedded: Taking Cover
Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University
Ghost Story
Next Year in Moscow
Questlove Supreme
Post Reports: The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop
Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas
The Very Worst Thing that Could Possibly Happen
Best entertainment podcast (sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter)
50 Years of Hip-Hop
Creative Control
Films to Be Buried With Brett Goldstein
HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast
Movies vs. Capitalism
MUBI Podcast
Women of Marvel
Best interview podcast
Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union Podcast
Apple News in Conversation
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Questlove Supreme
The Skinny Confidential
Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Your Mama’s Kitchen
Best society and culture podcast
Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D
Dear Alana,
Dynamite Doug
Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University
ROS Presents: Roughhousing
The Story Exchange
Weight For It
Best original score and music supervision
Calm it Down – Chad Lawson
Can You Dig It?: A Hip-Hop Origin Story with Chuck D – Bryan Master
Louder Than a Riot – Suzi Analogue, Kassa Overall, and Ramtin Arablouei
Next Year in Moscow
Othello – Lindsay Jones
The Cat in the Hat Cast – Jack Mitchell
The Very Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen – Alex Kemp
When Usher was announced as the headliner back in September, we all knew the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show was going to be epic. What we couldn’t have possibly predicted is all the other epic music moments to go down on Sunday. From Beyoncé starring in a Verizon Super Bowl commercial and then surprise-dropping two […]
With nine Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits from 18 top 10s, Usher has no shortage of material to pick from when choosing the setlist for Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show. He’ll have his work cut out for him in trimming things down to a mere 13-minute set. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, […]
Mark Ronson has five nominations heading into Sunday’s Grammy Awards, all stemming from his work on the soundtrack and score for the Barbie film, including a Big Four nod for song of the year for co-writing Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” The wildest Grammy category he’s competing in has to be best song written for visual media, where four of the five nominees are all from Barbie.
It speaks to just how Greta Gerwig’s film dominated pop culture this past year. And on the new Grammy preview episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we inform Ronson that it’s actually the first time a single project has landed four songs in that category since its inception in 1988.
“I think my mom Googled that the day nominations came out. She was very proud,” Ronson tells the Pop Shop with a laugh (listen to his full interview below). “I didn’t know that, and the other thing is that the Grammy category is for film and TV, you know? And there’s so many great songs from TV shows, like I think of all the Only Murders in the Building songs and everything else — there was some real moments for songs. So yeah, it’s crazy that Barbie took up so many.”
The lone non-Barbie song in the category is Rihanna’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ballad “Lift Me Up.” “Rihanna can do anything she wants, so we can’t take anything for granted,” Ronson notes of their formidable competition on Sunday night.
Below, find highlights from our chat with Ronson, who’s also up for best original song at the Oscars on March 10 for “I’m Just Ken” with co-writer Andrew Wyatt — a prize Ronson won alongside Lady Gaga in 2019 for “Shallow” from A Star Is Born — and is already a seven-time Grammy winner, starting with his 2008 wins for producing Amy Winehouse’s landmark album Back to Black.
On being recognized at the Oscars again:
“Obviously in our field of music, we’d have to say the Grammys is the highest honor. What’s so crazy is that there’s this award [the Oscar] that’s sort of the most prestigious award in the world that gives out one award for music, so it’s so crazy. I don’t believe that it means that your song is better than somebody else’s song or any of that stuff, but of course it is amazing. We worked so hard on this film and for a long time and also on the score and everything because we loved it, not because we were like, ‘OK, we better get an Oscar nomination!’ But it is nice to be recognized for the work, for sure.”
On the Oscar rules allowing just two songs from a single film in the song category, so “I’m Just Ken” and Billie Eilish and Finneas’ “What Was I Made For” made the cut, but Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and others were left out:
“I don’t know how they even pick what the two are, but it is [bittersweet] because Dua’s song is still the biggest song from the soundtrack and Dua was really the first artist of anywhere near her stature that committed to the film. So it was almost like once we knew that we had a Dua song that was going to be in this big thing, it really set the bar for what the whole soundtrack could be. Dua … being like, ‘I’m down with this’ and writing this incredible song was what got us all excited, like, ‘Wow, this really could be something where this feels like this superstar level of musicians and singers and pop stars on it.’ So Dua definitely deserves all the credit for that, and you know it would have been lovely to have her as well. So it’s, you know, it is a shame.”
How Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World” accomplished the goal of including both Nicki and Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” on the soundtrack:
“We knew that with Nicki and her fans being called the Barbz and everything, as soon as I had been brought in for the soundtrack, I was like, ‘There’s no way in hell that we can have this soundtrack without a Nicki song on it.’ And then the fact that Ice [Spice] just became, like, her meteoric rise the entire time that we were even just working on the soundtrack from when we first got her involved, so yeah, it’s everywhere. … The two thoughts are like, ‘There’s no world in which we can’t have Nicki and that we can’t have some version of Aqua,’ you know? So we were always thinking, is it a cover? Is it an interesting flip? And then the Nicki and Ice [song] just came through with Riot[USA]’s beat and just handled the whole thing for us.”
On making the Christmas version of “I’m Just Ken” and whether he might make more music with Ryan Gosling:
“We definitely had a lot of fun, especially making the Christmas version that we did, because we had made that record and then I, the first one, I recorded a vocal with him. And then I probably hadn’t spoken to him for about a year till the movie was wrapping up. And I was like, ‘Hey, we finished the version actually, Slash is playing on it, I just want to make sure you’re happy with it before we mix it’. And he really loved it. And then we started to talk over the past couple of months, and we’re just talking about different kinds of music and things that he loved and [British singer/songwriter] Scott Walker and this stuff, and I was like, ‘Well, we should do a version of “Ken” that just does something a little different, like a different arrangement.’ Because, you know, there was a lot of talk like the ’80s power ballad and this, and I mean, it has all those things, but I think some of my pride as a songwriter, I wanted to prove that it wasn’t just that. So Ryan … he’s got amazing taste and great ideas, and he’s an extremely funny and talented musician and singer. So we made this version and then we started to hang, and definitely, I would love to make more music. You know, I think it would be great. And we’ve talked about it a little bit.”
On his first time at the Grammys:
“I was a seat filler [as a teenager] because I wanted to write about it. I wrote and reviewed concerts for my high school paper. My mom would only let me go to shows … if I could convince her it was something to do with school, so I got this job writing for the paper who definitely didn’t need a music reviewer. [Laughs] But I convinced them, and it was this paper called City News that was for high school kids, a bunch of different schools. So I got into the Grammys by being a seat filler. And I remember you’re sitting all over the place. At one point I was in front of Vanilla Ice. The other moment I was sitting next to that singer Alannah Myles who won that year for ‘Black Velvet.’ And then I went with my friend Rhymefest, a rapper who co-wrote [Kanye West’s] ‘Jesus Walks.’ I went with him as his plus-one in like 2003 or whenever that was, and then next time I went was for Amy.”
On his whirlwind first Grammys as a nominee in 2008 — and his Zoolander moment in the crowd:
“I remember it really well. I took my mom and I remember when they read my name for producer of the year, it was such a blur that it was like a movie. My friend Rich, my best friend, was nudging me and going, ‘They said your name! Go!’ I went up, and it was just so surreal. … Me and my mom were behind Tony Bennett at the main ceremony, and I think I was actually a little bit hungover because I was enjoying myself that weekend, my first time at the rodeo. And they came up to me before they announced record of the year, the cameras, they want to make sure, like, ‘Are you Mark Ronson?’ Just in case you win, they’ve got the camera on you. And so when they said, you know, ‘And the Grammy for record of the year goes to… “Rehab” for Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse!’ And so I got up to walk towards the stage, because I figured like, ‘So that’s why the guy’s filming me.’ And as I start to walk up the first few steps, this giant screen starts to get lowered and it’s Amy live from Camden to accept the award. And I suddenly realized like, ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna look like such an idiot just standing there next to this screen.’ So I try to like subtly as possible reverse-step down the stairs in front of everybody in the Staples Center, and I kind of fell backwards and I just sat like at the feet of Amber Rose and Kanye for like 10 minutes while Amy spoke, and I just said, ‘Sorry, guys, I’ll be out of your hair in a minute.’ But it was, like, a very Zoolander moment.”
On writing a book about DJing at hip-hop clubs in the ’90s and how it’s inspiring his follow-up album to 2019’s Late Night Feelings:
“I’ve been writing a book about DJing, specifically about DJing in hip-hop clubs in the ’90s in New York City. And it’s a little bit about that time. It’s a mini-memoir, but it’s also about the art of DJing. And maybe some of that art is a little bit bygone now, because you don’t walk into places and see turntables and mixers everywhere. So it’s a bit about all those things, and just about a really great time, because it was this moment where Jay-Z and Biggie and Puff started to come out in downtown New York. And that suddenly changed the whole thing of where people wanted to be and where people wanted to hang out. And because I was their DJ, I had a front-row seat to it all in some ways. So I’m writing that book, and then I’m sure that the book will influence this record a little bit. I’m sure it’ll a little bit remind me of that era. But yeah, that’s where I’m at with it.”
Also on the podcast, we’ve got chart news on how Green Day scores its 12th top 10 charting album on the Billboard 200 with Saviors, nearly 30 years to the week after the band made their Billboard chart debut in 1994. Plus, how Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” makes a beautiful start on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and how Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez and Sophie Ellis-Bextor all debut on the Pop Airplay chart with their latest hits. And since it’s our special Grammy Awards preview episode, we’re also reviewing the nominees in the six general field categories and highlighting who our very own awards editor, Paul Grein, along with his crack team of advisers on staff at Billboard, thinks will win in each of the categories.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
Could a momentous Madonna reunion with two of her former longtime backing singers be in the works? This week, the Queen of Pop plays a trio of shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden for The Celebration Tour (Jan. 22, 23 and 29). And, perhaps not so coincidentally, Donna De Lory and Niki Haris – who were seen in the Madonna documentary Truth or Dare and in the iconic video for “Vogue” – are performing two of their own shows together just up the street from the Garden on Jan. 27-28.
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While the ladies have not worked together in years, could there be any plans for Madonna to drop by one of De Lory and Haris’ gigs at The Green Room 42, or for them to appear onstage with Madonna at The Garden?
Well, De Lory and Haris join the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast this week (listen to their chat, below) to discuss that possibility, and more.
“I have no right to give any information that is not completely confirmed as of this moment,” Haris very carefully tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast with a laugh. “With that said, we take joy wherever we can find it — if it’s on our stage, at Madison Square Garden, wherever the joy is. In [Madonna’s] living room. … The bottom line is, we’re in town. … We may just go grab a coffee together. Who knows?”
De Lory adds: “No matter what, we’re just gonna have a great time.”
For years, De Lory and Haris were behind Madonna — supporting the superstar on the road, during television performances on the Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards, and singing on many of her albums and singles. The pair joined Madonna on four tours between 1987 and 2001, with De Lory continuing to perform on two more Madonna tours in 2004-06. Their voices can be heard on many Madonna recordings released from 1987-98, including the Like a Prayer, I’m Breathless and Erotica albums, and singles such as “Vogue,” “Cherish,” “Deeper and Deeper” and “Nothing Really Matters.”
So, with so much recording history behind them, would De Lory and Haris be open to recording with Madonna, on record and in the studio for a song, if the opportunity presented itself?
“I feel for myself,” De Lory says, “and I feel for Niki as well, we would love that. We would love that. And I know that the magic that was always there would be there. … It would be sweet if that happened. … We just all have a great blend and great energy, and that will always be there.”
“I’d love to just sit around a room,” Haris says, “have [Madonna] grab her guitar, Donna go to the keyboard, and let’s just do what we love to do. … God, we just like to sing together. I would rather just sing without an agenda. Just sing.”
While De Lory and Haris are best-known for backing Madonna for years, they’ve also had their own solo careers, and also provided backing vocals individually on albums from the likes of Belinda Carlisle, Whitney Houston, Santana and Selena. In 2016, the pair came together to work on their first album, the Two Friends EP, which was released in 2017. Since then they have continued to release stand-alone tracks, and have hopes of releasing further new material, perhaps setting up camp in Nashville to work with a producer/songwriter to collaborate on new music.
During our chat with De Lory and Haris, we also asked the women about why they think “Vogue” has endured through the year, and influenced such artists as Beyoncé (with the “Vogue”-infused Queens Remix of “Break My Soul”) and Ariana Grande (with her house-inspired “Vogue” cousin “Yes, And?”).
De Lory says: “I knew when we went in to do those vocals at that session, it was a fresh sound… the music was so powerful.” Haris says that we’re in a “society that now is celebrating voguing, celebrating being a drag queen, celebrating [drag] houses … you just have a bigger audience that’s being more accepted” and adds that “‘Vogue’ is such an infectious kind of energy… it’s celebratory.”
Also on the new edition of the Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got chart news on the debut of Grande’s “Yes, And?” atop the Billboard Hot 100, and how 21 Savage and Kali Uchis make splashy debuts on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Plus, we’re discussing news of Billy Joel soon dropping his first pop single in years, a new Justin Timberlake album on the horizon, and the music-related nominees at the 2024 Academy Awards.
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)