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Annalisa arrives at the appointment in high boots and a black tracksuit with the hood pulled over her head. She enters the headquarters of her record company, Warner Music Italy, trying not to be recognized by anyone. She comes out in a D&G sporty tracksuit and heeled boots, with perfectly combed red hair and impeccable makeup. She has a bit of fever but one couldn’t tell.
This is Annalisa. Confident, professional, a perfectionist. In Italy she achieved exceptional results: 36 platinum records, in 2023 she stayed ten consecutive weeks in the top 10 of the singles chart and was the only female solo artist in the annual top 10. At Sanremo 2024 she finished third with her song “Sincerely,” which followed a particularly successful period of her career that began in September 2022 with the single “Bellissima.” This period was characterized by a more electronic sound, accompanied by freer and sexier image and lyrics.
After the Global Force Award she received at Billboard Women in Music 2024, honored by Billboard Italy, it’s time to fully understand Annalisa (born in 1985 in Carcare, Liguria), going back to her beginnings. She has a degree in physics, but did she ever think about a career in that field? “Never. I’ve always wanted to pursue a career in music, ever since I was a little child,” she says. “I grew up in a small town and my parents are two very rigorous people, both teachers. They pushed me to look for a plan B. They always supported me, but with realism.”
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Is physics close to music somehow?
I liked it a lot, although I could have chosen to study something more related to music. But I needed an alternative. There are connections with music, of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have liked it so much: first of all, the fact that it leads you to analyse what’s in front of you. I do it a lot, starting from myself and my sensations. This is how my creative process was born. I always asked myself a lot of questions.
When did you realize you had an innate sense for music?
Since I was two or three years old, because I always sang and was always the first to throw myself into all the school plays. I think it’s also genetic. My mom teaches English but also plays music and sings beautifully. Among her relatives there are many musicians, but no one has ever made it a profession.
You said that all your songs, even the happy ones, are born from doubts and questions. Can you give us an example? It’s definitely not the case of “Sincerely,” because those lyrics aren’t particularly cheerful.
No… [laughs] That’s a song full of shadows but dressed up to seem shiny – a bit like me. An example is “Mon Amour,” because it was born from many questions: why can’t we be as free as we want, in love and in the rest our lives? Why should people judge the others if this freedom doesn’t even concern them? I believe that the goal of music, especially pop, is to instill doubts and convey messages with simplicity and lightness.
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Has that happened to you or is it something you feel like doing for what you see around you?
It’s more about seeing what happens to others, although each of us has felt limited and judged for something at some point.
Has the theme of freedom always been fundamental for you, or has it acquired more importance in the last period, from “Mon Amour” onwards?
I’ve always held it dear, but it emerged more from that song onwards. With the work in the studio in recent years I have learned to bring it out at its fullest.
Is it the cause you feel like fighting for the most?
Yes, I prefer to talk about a broad topic like freedom because everything comes from there – even wars and oppression. From the freedom to experience sexuality as one wants, one arrives at the freedom to live in a country without being oppressed.
It is known that you are never satisfied with the results you obtain. What would you have done differently in this last period?
I always think I could have handled situations better and I could have done more on stage, in general. I think I could have rested an hour more, so I would have been more effective, like for interviews. At the Sanremo Festival, for example, things are always exaggerated. Those are tiring days. Almost a month has passed and I’m still trying to recover, but I already have to focus on my future plans.
Annalisa
Nicholas Foals/Billboard Italy
Do you already have ideas for the tour?
Of course. I will soon start the rehearsals with the dancers. Then I’ll return to the recording studio as soon as possible. I always take note of my ideas because I want to be ready.
Do you want to involve some new producers or songwriters?
No, I have a team I have always worked with, namely Paolo Antonacci and Davide Simonetta. With them I created some magic, it is a rare and precious gift. The main point of the songs is that they have to be true. Sometimes, if there isn’t a relationship as strong as ours, they are not. They can be beautiful but perhaps won’t last over time.
What songs from the past are light and deep at the same time?
Nada’s “Amore Disperato”: light but eternal. Loretta Goggi’s “Maledetta Primavera”: we all sing it when we hear it. All Raffaella Carrà’s songs, which always have a message. This is the history of Italian music.
How much do the places where you live – Milan, Genoa and Carcare – influence you?
Milan is the city of music: it is essential to be there. Even though many people today say it can be dangerous, I like living in a buzzy neighborhood where things happen. Genoa is also a city of lights and shadows, even more than Milan. It has incredible places of tradition and history, but also unsafe alleys. And then there is the sea. For me it is a poetic place, of great inspiration. Most of my musical ideas are born there. I must also mention Savona. It is a seaside city, smaller, but it lacks nothing. It’s not rough like Genoa, it’s simpler. There I had my first musical experiences, I participated in the first music contests with my band. And then there is my hometown, Carcare.
You were the only female solo artist included in the top 10 of the most successful singles in 2023 in Italy. The female presence is always small and is a symptom of a much broader problem within the music industry: that of violence, which is not only physical but it is also psychological, economic, of exclusion and abuse. Has this ever happened to you?
I have never suffered harassment of any kind, fortunately. What I can denounce is the immense effort to gain credibility. There continue to be preconceptions about what is considered suitable for a woman or for a man. However, with a bit of pride I can say that I have seen some things change since I started.
Is there more awareness?
I believe that the effort that I and my generation made is useful to the next one – the effort to make others accept the fact that I write songs myself or that I judge things from a technical point of view. Little by little these prejudices will be overcome.
Are there any younger artists you particularly like?
Madame. I appreciate her credibility and the technical aspects of his work. I hope she passes the baton to those who will come after her.
Annalisa
Nicholas Foals/Billboard Italy
The beloved Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, a vital annual event in the comedy world, has canceled its 2024 edition and laid off about 70% of its staff.
The festival’s managing body, Groupe Juste pour rire inc. (JPR), is facing financial hardships and has sought legal measures to avoid bankruptcy. JPR said the decision is aimed at finding new investors or potential buyers to keep the festival afloat. The challenges leading to this point include the economic strain from the pandemic and other industry hurdles, including rising costs and media mergers. Despite the tough times, organizers hope to come back stronger in 2025.
“The decision to initiate restructuring proceedings was reached after thorough consideration of all options available to the company,” a news release states, “taking into account its very difficult financial situation given the significant changes in our business landscape in recent years.” – Rosie Long Decter
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Billboard Women In Music Expands to Canada in 2024
This June, Billboard Women In Music is expanding to Canada, shining a light on the influential women and gender-diverse talents who are shaping the nation’s music scene. With this expansion, Billboard Canada aims to honor those making significant strides across the industry, from production to live performances.
The music community is invited to participate, with nominations now open. It offers a platform to recognize and celebrate the outstanding contributions of individuals in the Canadian music industry while fostering a more inclusive and diverse musical landscape.
Canadian executive Golnar Khosrowshahi, the founder/CEO of Reservoir Media, one of the biggest independent music companies in the world, is an Executive of the Year hall of famer. This year, she offered this piece of advice: “Pivot to a path that allows for growth equally across your professional and personal lives. You should not have to compromise, but rather be empowered to find the route that allows for the multitudes present in you.” – Richard Trapunski
Music Canada’s Game-Changing Update: Video Streams Now Count Toward Gold and Platinum Certifications
Earlier this week, Toronto-based Music Canada announced a significant update to its Gold/Platinum Program for Single Awards: It will now incorporate official video streams into the certification calculations.
The change celebrates the evolving ways fans engage with music, particularly through video. With this update, video streams from platforms like YouTube, Vevo and Apple Music from Jan. 1, 2020, onwards will contribute to the criteria for Gold, Platinum and Diamond certifications, ensuring that artists who engage fans through music videos receive recognition toward certifications. – David Farrell
This ain’t Texas, but the stars at Billboard Women in Music made it feel like a rodeo when they took turns singing Beyoncé’s Hot 100 chart-topping hit, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a hilarious video shared to Billboard’s Instagram account from the event […]
Just after performing a fascinating salsa version of “Amargura,” Karol G took center stage at YouTube Theater on Wednesday (March 6) to accept her award for Woman of the Year at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards.
Colombian actor and producer Sofía Vergara presented Karol — who made her acting debut alongside Vergara in Netflix’s Griselda earlier this year — with the special award.
Here’s Karol’s full speech, with everything after the first paragraph translated from Spanish to English.
“First of all, it’s an amazing surprise that Sofía Vergara is giving me this award, I love it. Buenas noches a todos. I’m super honored to be here today. Oh my God, [this] might be the most significant and important recognition of all my career, this is super special. This is Woman of the Year but this is the first time ever a Latina is named the Woman of the Year. So, I have to give my speech in Spanish, of course.
“Well, this is Women in Music so I’m going to talk about us. I have to start first by telling you that for years and years I lived very disappointed with the fact of being a woman. I found myself on the road with so many rejections and so many lost opportunities. Because of that, I wondered why I was not born a man to exploit all this love, this desire and passion I felt for music. Where would all this desire I had to eat the world have gone if it was assumed that as a woman I could not achieve it? For a long time I believed that story. I believed that this was not for me. So many times I was told that I could not make it and I always think of the number of people who leave their dreams behind and leave their dreams aside for that reason, for the perception of others but not for the real dream they have and the desire they have inside. In the midst of my desire, in the midst of wanting to make music even if it was just for me, I decided that if my environment did not change, I was the one who had to change and I was the one who was going to do it. And that I wasn’t going to let being a woman be an obstacle or define my capabilities, but that it was going to be my strength, it was going to be my motive and my reason. And every time I was told no, I found the strength and the desire and everything I needed to say, yes I can. In my mind I changed the ‘a woman can’t do it’ to ‘look at this woman how she does it, look how a woman does it.’
“Three fundamental things happened in order for me to be here tonight. One, I stopped trying to be perfect for everyone. I accepted myself as a person, actually it was something that took me a long time, to accept myself as a woman, as a person, to stop hiding the things that for people were a defect and that probably now are all my qualities. Number two, I completely ignored and still completely ignore the comments of, ‘she owes it to this one,’ or ‘it wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for this person’ or ‘because she recorded with this other one,’ or ‘she did it because she gave it to that one.’ The eagerness to find justifications for the achievements and successes of a woman, mmm no. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone when you know how much you have killed yourself to achieve everything you have achieved in life. And number three, I understood that it was not the respect of others that I had to earn but respect for myself. To work hard to the point where I could see myself and admire the person I had become. Studying, working, working on my voice, being clear about what I wanted to communicate. How I wanted to connect with people, improve my lyrics, spend many hours in the studio. To really prepare myself to be the best and when I would see myself, I would say, wow, she’s tough, how great, and that’s the respect you have to look for.
“I look back now, all the time it has taken me to be here, 16 years, and I feel very at peace with myself because I followed my heart, [you] follow your heart. I see the process, I wouldn’t take anything away. All the things, from the most beautiful to the most difficult, I am grateful today and they have made me the person I am. I don’t see pain, I see a lot of opportunities created, I see learning, I see goals achieved and a lot of hearts inspired. That is the coolest award I can receive, I love you. Really, thank you.
“Today, as I receive this award, I want to say [to myself] Karol G you’re incredible, congratulations. This is not only for me. I want to thank all the people, all the women who also work every day, who also open a path that we are not aware of, all those who have been working. To the women who work in my team, there are a lot of them. And to the women who are coming in the future, who are also working very hard already. I didn’t want to stand here and say all the things that I have done, I’m really just standing here to say that just like I did, all of you can do it too. And never, never give someone else the authority to decide on your own decisions, to say whether something you are doing is bad or good, has value or has no value. No one can put value on you as a person, not as a woman, not as a professional. It is you yourself who works for it, sweats for it, gets it and earns it. And, how chimba [great] that they gave me [the award] this year. Thank you, Billboard, I love you all.”
A barefoot Karol G performed a riveting salsa version of “Amargura” at Billboard Women in Music on Wednesday (March 6) at the YouTube Theater in Los Angeles. And, as she promised during her interview with Billboard on the red carpet, her performance got people on their feet dancing along with her — including Katy Perry.
“Hi, everyone! For this special night I chose what I think is the favorite song of all of you, my fans,” Karol said speaking into a microphone stand that had a Colombian flag wrapped around it. “Not the most popular, but I know it’s your favorite. I brought so many talented girls with me to do a special version that represents my roots and my Latin community, and I want everyone to enjoy it.”
Wearing a white flowy two-piece that encouraged her free-spirited performance, Karol sang live and danced up a storm with an all-girl salsa band (13 musicians in total) in tow, including Emily Estefan (Gloria and Emilio Estefan’s daughter) on percussion. The women in the band were also dressed in white, many wearing the long, traditional Colombian cumbia skirts. Karol’s salsa number was arranged and produced by Sergio George along with her longtime musical director Rob Trujillo.
Karol G — who received the Woman of the Year Award – closed out the ceremony, which also included performances by Victoria Monet, NewJeans, Maren Morris, Young Miko and more.
It’s not the first time Karol was honored at Billboard Women in Music. In 2022, the Colombian hitmaker received the Rulebreaker award and performed “El Barco.” Since then, Karol has had a year of career-defining moments, including a history-making album (Mañana Será Bonito), became the first Latina to ever embark on a stadium tour in the United States, headlined Lollapalooza and, most recently, won her first Grammy.
“I’m super honored to be here today,” Karol said after accepting her Woman of the Year award from Sofía Vergara. “Oh my God, it might be the most significant and important recognition of all my career, this is super special.”
Watch Karol G’s performance above, and her acceptance speech below:
Kylie Minogue may have been a star for nearly 40 years now, but the Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday evening (March 6) nonetheless represented a first for the generations-spanning pop idol.
After successfully scaling the stairs leading up to the YouTube Theater stage (sideways, thanks to a tight-fitting dress) to accept the Icon Award from presenter Bebe Rexha at the ceremony, Minogue kicked off her speech by noting the unusual nature of the evening in the scope of her decades-long career.
“I love being in this room, and it’s ridiculous to say, but I’ve never been in a room like this — a pure and vital celebration of women in music, and I’ve been one for 37 years,” she said. “So it is especially nice to be here and so wonderful to be in your company.”
While the award came amid the success of Minogue’s smash single “Padam Padam” — which marks her biggest hit in the United States in more than two decades — the singer aptly kept the focus on her status as a long-running icon, beginning with her 1987 hit “The Loco-Motion” (still her highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 3) to her No. 7-charting Hot 100 smash “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” in 2001 and her latest chart success.
“On the one hand, it seems completely surreal. Like, ‘Is this really happening? How did I get here?’” she said of receiving the honor. “And then on the other hand, simultaneously, I know the steps it took to get here physically and mentally. Navigating the highs, the lows, and then trying to never lose sight of the in-between, the terra firma. I also know there’s luck, fate, a calling and help — a lot of help from a lot of people over a very long time in my case.”
Speaking of the lows, in ending her speech, Minogue made a special “shout-out to all the times that were not peak moments. They were no fun. But those challenges, the lows, the stuff we’ve gotta get through sometimes, I wanted to give a big shout-out to all the terrible times. Thank you for teaching us. They were horrendous in the moment, but they happen, and it’s how we navigate them and what we do with them. I’m not looking forward to the next one, but it will come.”
Stream the Billboard Women in Music 2024 Awards here at 8 p.m. ET Thursday (March 7).
Tems might claim she’s “Not an Angel” in her latest single, but she sure looked like one Wednesday night (March 6) when she performed it at Billboard Women in Music.
The Nigerian singer-songwriter and producer took the stage at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif., cloaked in a white bedazzled hooded dress, the smoke billowing from underneath her acting as a long, flowing train. “Not an Angel” is one of two singles Tems released last year, arriving two months after “Me & U.” In her Women in Music profile, she assured her highly anticipated debut album “is 1,000% coming out this year.”
Following her peformance, Tems accepted the Breakthrough Award from Savannah James, who said that Future‘s Grammy-winning Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Wait for U,” featuring Drake and Tems, is her “personal favorite.” Tems said she had prepared a speech for the evening, but “I have forgotten everything completely,” she admitted before one fan screeched, “You’re the best!” and more applause followed. “One thing that’s uniquely special to me is that I’m in a room full of amazing women and I’m standing with a continent behind me, I’m standing with the people behind me, and it makes me feel like I’m part of something just being in this room.”
Tems dedicated her award to “the first woman I ever met,” her mother, who broke with Yoruba tradition by choosing her daughter’s name Témìládè Openiyi — a role typically reserved for the father’s side of the family — because “God told me,” Tems’ mother explained on For Broken Ears’ “Témìládè Interlude.“
Growing up, “everybody just called me Temi. Nobody really called me by my full name. It wasn’t something that was on my mind,” Tems previously told Billboard. “It’s only now, as an adult, that I started realizing that it meant ‘the crown is mine.’ I think that’s really powerful. It feels manifested, based on how my life has gone.“
“I really want to use this opportunity to say to all the women in the room, in the world, that no matter what you’re going through, you should know you’re not alone. So even when you’re sad, even when you’re angry, there’s someone that’s angry, too. So uplift everybody around you because they need that like you and somebody’s there for you,” she concluded her speech. “It’s the women that got the women, trust me.”
On Wednesday night (March 6), Luísa Sonza captivated audiences with a sweet rendition of “Chico,” debuting its English version interlaced with some original Portuguese lyrics. This tender bossa nova was performed for the first time in English at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, held at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif.
Clad in a chic black vest and matching low-rise slacks — her blond hair stylishly tied back into a ponytail and her lips painted a striking red — the Brazilian music sensation gracefully shifted from her mellifluous tune to a more vibrant performance. Backed by blazing images on screens, the energy in the room surged when Demi Lovato made a surprise appearance, joining Sonza onstage for their “Penhasco2” duet. This collaboration added an unforgettable flair to the evening, creating a mesmerizing moment with the night’s honored Global Force.
Sonza made history as the only Brazilian artist honored at the event.
“What the f— is happening here, guys? Oh my God!” Sonza said as she received her award. “First of all, thank you Demi Lovato for [joining] me. I’m a Brazilian singer, I mostly sing in Portuguese, so this is so crazy, and I’m so nervous right now.”
Then she continued to read her speech: “First of all, I wanna say thank you to the woman who inspired me in my life, my mom. I wanna say thank you to my grandma, my manager Fátima, and everyone on my team who makes being here possible. This is crazy. I’m from a small town in Brazil with 6,000 people, and I started my music journey singing in a wedding band when I was 7 years old, and I never, never thought I would be here tonight.
“Even here, this is too much for me, I can’t handle,” she added in amusement. “Thank you so much, Billboard, for seeing and recognizing women, this is amazing, this is so important. But tonight, I want to say thank you, especially to Brazilian women, this is the first time someone from Brazil is being recognized for this award. So I want to dedicate this award to Brazilian artists, songwriters and producers, thank you so much. Karol G, a songwriter, all my fans, ¡Muito obrigado, Brasil! And this is just the beginning.”
The new English version of “Chico” officially premieres Thursday (March 7) across all streaming platforms.
Watch Luísa Sonza and Demi Lovato perform onstage together at Billboard Women In Music above and her acceptance speech below.
Katy Perry made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards on Wednesday (March 7) to present the award of Executive of the Year to her longtime champion and label chief Michelle Jubelirer.
“I am so grateful to be here today to celebrate my dear friend and my iced latte hiking buddy Michelle Jubelirer,” Perry said. “She has been a beacon for artists, nurturing their talents and supporting their personal growth. She heard me, she saw me, she created space for me, even supported me through my journey of motherhood.”
This was Jubelirer’s first speech since she decided to leave her post as CEO and chair of Capitol Music Group on Feb. 6, amidst the drastic restructuring of UMG’s recorded music division. The storied record label has since been folded into the new umbrella Interscope Capitol Labels Group and many staff members have been let go since her departure.
“This has been a very tough period in the music business,” Jubelirer said. “Countless numbers of people have suddenlylosttheirlivelihoods … and this means that dozens of artists have lost their champions. Relationships are everything. It takes tremendous faith for artists to entrust their music to others. To have built those relationships only to see them abruptly end is more than disconcerting for an artist; it’s heartbreaking.”
“Even though I am no longer peering out the top floor window of the Capitol tower,” she said, “my diamond heart leads my mission. I will always be a fierce advocate for artists and promise to put real and meaningful action behind the words I’ve spoken tonight.”
Jubelirer also addressed misogyny in her speech, saying: “Do these comments sound familiar? ‘You’re too emotional.’ ‘You don’t have to be so direct when you talk.’ We all know that’s code for: ‘Stop being a bitch.’ ‘You should smile more’ — that’s one of my personal favorites. We’ve all heard these glib phrases and countless others throughout our careers. … But I wholeheartedly believe that I relate to artists differently because I am a woman. I have a stronger connection with my colleagues because I am a woman. I am able to make decisions that consider a wider range of factors because I am a woman.”
She continued: “This approach informed the culture we built at Capitol Music Group, and we achieved historic success operating in this manner. So yes, I am a better leader because I am a woman.”
Jubelirer joined Capitol in early 2013 after a fruitful career as an artist attorney to talent like Tyler, the Creator, M.I.A., Frank Ocean, Pharrell and more. By 2015, she rose to become COO to Steve Barnett, the then-CEO of CMG, which also encompassed Motown, Blue Note, Astralwerks and, until recently, indie distributor Virgin Music. She remained on as COO and president under Barnett’s successor, Jeff Vaughn, who spent about a year in the role, before the role was handed to Jubelirer at the end of 2021. She was the first female chief executive in Capitol’s 80-plus-year history.
“The challenges [I inherited at Capitol] were plentiful,” Jubelirer admitted in her interview for Billboard‘s Women in Music issue. CMG faced a falling market share, staff turnover, pandemic challenges and an unwieldy artist roster. “The truth is, a lot of change happened in a short period of time.”
But under her reign, Capitol’s fortunes quickly began to turn. The company signed Ice Spice (with 10K Projects), released the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras, worked with UMe to release the Beatles’ AI-powered single “Now and Then,” and went viral multiple times over, including with Doechii’s “What It Is (Block Boy).”
In 2023, Capitol earned a 6.66% market share in the U.S., including a 5.90% current market share — which measures releases from the past 18 months — which was fifth among all labels for the full year. Both numbers were up significantly over her first year as CEO/chair in 2022, when Capitol’s overall market share stood at 6.40% and current market share was 4.97%.
Maren Morris delivered an inspiring — and very fitting — rendition of her 2019 No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Girl” before accepting the Visionary Award at the Billboard Women in Music celebration Wednesday night (March 6) at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif. Accompanying herself on guitar, and backed only by a guitarist and keyboardist (“Girl” […]
