Pop
John Legend Delivers ‘Hallelujah’ With Carrie Underwood, ‘Glory’ With Common for Global Citizen Prize
John Legend showed off his many talents at Global Citizen Prize 2020, appearing as host and performing twice. Legend joined Carrie Underwood for the beautiful holiday duet “Hallelujah,” the closing performance of the night, “in honor of the better days to come.” In an earlier segment, he was joined by Common for an inspiring live take of “Glory,” a moving tribute to Black Lives Matter that was accompanied by a choir coming in via a screen. Global Citizen Prize 2020, which aired Saturday night (Dec. 19) on NBC at 8 p.m. ET, honored several awe-inspiring leaders. In the music world, Elton John was recognized as the Global Citizen artist of the year for his tireless efforts combating the HIV/AIDS crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic&nbs...
Gwen Stefani Lights Up the Room With ‘Let Me Reintroduce Myself’ at Global Citizen Prize
Gwen Stefani, introduced by host John Legend as “my good friend,” brought her bright new single to the stage at Global Citizen Prize 2020. Backed by dancers, a live band and a colorfully lit winter wonderland set, Stefani strutted confidently as she sang “Let Me Reintroduce Myself” on the special, which aired on NBC on Saturday night (Dec. 19). Global Citizen Prize 2020 honored various incredible leaders. In the music world, Elton John was recognized as the Global Citizen artist of the year for his work fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. G...
Tori Kelly & JoJo Soar Through ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ Duet at Global Citizen Prize 2020
Tori Kelly and JoJo unleashed a powerful cover of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” for Global Citizen Prize 2020. The pair fed off of one another’s vocal talent as they brought their rendition of the classic, originally recorded by soul legend Aretha Franklin, to the stage together at the event hosted by John Legend. Global Citizen Prize 2020 was broadcast on NBC on Saturday night (Dec. 19). Kelly and JoJo’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” cover can also be heard on the new eight-song compilation Stand Up, benefiting Global Citizen. Stand Up is available now on all major streaming services. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with givin...
P!ink Looks Back on Challenging Year of Health Setbacks: ‘As If Surviving COVID Wasn’t Enough’
In early April, the Grammy-winning singer revealed that she and her 3-year-old son, Jameson, tested positive for coronavirus. In an essay for NBC News, she called the experience “the most physically and emotionally challenging experience I have gone through as a mother.” P!nk is still keeping her sense of humor despite her challenging year. “Later tonight I’m gonna climb inside a raw chicken and see if I can’t check out what salmonella’s like! 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving,” she joked in her post, where she’s seen giving a thumbs up. The artist revealed that her fractured ankle resulted from “running down the stairs trying to see the Christmas star,” referring to a rare star that will appear for the first time in hundreds of years on Dec. 2...
Tunefind Top TV/Movie Syncs of 2020: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Scores Fourth No. 1 in a Row, Lizzo Leads Artists List
Grey’s Anatomy‘s reign occurs despite a shortened 17th season due to the COVID-19 pandemic that premiered in November, while the 16th season concluded in April. Featuring music supervision from Alexandra Patsavas and Kasey Truman, Grey’s Anatomy snagged one entry in the top 10 songs list from Tunefind as well: Lindsey Ray‘s “Keep You Safe,” at No. 10, which was featured in the eighth episode of the 16th season. Lucifer again comes in at No. 2 on the top shows ranking, while The Blacklist, The Umbrella Academy and Supernatural round out the top five. The year’s top rookie is Virgin River, which premiered two seasons on Netflix in December 2019 and November 2020. 2020’s top song, meanwhile, is Chip Taylor‘s “...
Mariah Carey Can’t Get Enough of This Toddler Matching Her Whistle Tone in ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’
While “All I Want For Christmas Is You” may have been released a full 23 years before the pint-sized singer was even born, it’s currently sitting at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for its second Christmas season in a row. The song marks four non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the chart dated Dec. 19 after first summiting the singles chart in Dec. 2019. The track’s record-breaking ascent last Christmas after 25 years was made even more historic as it earned the songstress the designation as the first, and so far only, act to have a No. 1 single across four separate decades — the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Elsewhere, classic holiday songs abound on the Hot 100 hits this week, with Brenda Lee‘s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Bobby Hel...
How to Take Diva Collaborations to ‘Another Level of Badass’
Long-standing assumptions about female artists competing with one another have also dissolved, says Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, CEO/owner of management firm SALXCO, whose roster includes Doja Cat and Bebe Rexha. The idea that there’s room for only one chart-topping female at a time is “very unrealistic,” he says. “When artists come together and have healthy competition, everyone wins.” But executives aren’t suddenly having epiphanies dispelling sexist myths, notes Calhoun — audiences are voicing demand for female collaborations through their listening habits. “The fans are hungry for it and the fans are playing it, so there’s a business there,” she says. “Male artists have held the throne for a minute now, and I think women want to hear women artists.” Perhaps no fan spends more time thinking abo...
What Does ‘Alternative’ Mean in 2020?
Laura Ohls, senior editor, folk and AAA, Spotify: I’ve always thought of “alternative” as referring to any artist creating music that challenges what’s being popularized in the mainstream, across all genres. In the ’90s, rock music was still very much at the core of popular music culture, and as a result, “alternative” [was more] guitar-driven in sound. Fast forward to 2020, where hip-hop, pop and Latin are the titans of genre, and you’ll find that the class of artists defying what’s expected are doing so within these genre spaces. As a result, there is an amalgamation of genres that make up modern “alternative” sounds. We launched our Alternative Hub earlier this year in order to unite all of our alternative programming into one dedicated space. The idea was to have a destination that enc...
Kyle Meredith’s Best of 2020 Pt. 2: Evanescence, Avril Lavigne, KISS, LP, and More
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher | Radio Public | RSS For all of December, Kyle Meredith is looking back on his favorite moments in 2020. This week, we revisit talking with Amy Lee of Evanescence as she was deciding the future sound of her band, Jxdn dialing back to his strict Southern upbringing, Avril Lavigne sharing her survivor’s story, Paul Stanley of KISS radiating with positivity, LP discussing her large Russian fanbase, and Johnny 3 Tears from Hollywood Undead weighing in on the art of and current state of metal music. Kyle Meredith With… is an interview series in which WFPK’s Kyle Meredith speaks to a wide breadth of musicians. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Meredith digs deep into the ar...
Crocodile Was ‘Blown Away That I Even Made It Top Three’ on ‘Masked Singer’
The 40-year-old veteran performer whose new solo single, “80’s Movie,” is due out this Friday, hopped on the phone with Billboard before his elimination to talk about why his pink Croc costume was a dead-on emotional choice and how he thinks his Britney cover was the perfect complement to BSB’s recently released collab with their former Jive Records labelmate on “Matches.” Crocodiles have a thick skin, and in the clue packages you alluded to the fact that you’ve had to grow one as a child star coming up in the biz. Why did you choose him and why was he so pink? People who know me, my friends and family and children, know that I’m extremely sensitive and I’m just a lover, and the color pink just popped up for me from the performance side ...
Rainn Wilson Joking That He Doesn’t Know Who Taylor Swift Is Has Us Revisiting Her ‘Office’ Parody
Well, nine years ago, the singer-songwriter came up with her own parody of the hit NBC sitcom for a behind-the-scenes clip of her “Ours” music video. The mockumentary-style spoof featured similarly miserable employees in a sterile office reminiscent of Dunder Mifflin, who occupied themselves with gossip about Swift’s lovesick, cat video-watching character. “The sweater crow? Part scarecrow, part sweater, all blonde. Her?” one character commented. “I can’t remember her real name. But she uses a lot of company time to do inappropriate things on the internet.” Since her Speak Now days and somehow between releasing not one, but two surprise albums during quarantine, the Evermore singer recently told Swifties that she̵...
Holiday Titles Make Up Nine of Streaming Songs’ Top 10 for the First Time
Holiday song dominance comes early this year; despite already setting the all-time top 10 record for the chart, the latest list covers the tracking period of Dec. 4-10, with Dec. 25 contained as part of the Streaming Songs tally dated Jan. 9, 2021, this year — three chart refreshes away. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reigns for a seventh total week on Streaming Songs with 31.4 million U.S. streams, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. It’s followed by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at 29.2 million streams. The only non-seasonal song in Streaming Songs’ top 10? Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez’s “Dakiti,” with 19.8 million streams, at No. 6. The Dec. 19-dated Streaming Songs list sees 29 holiday songs in all, one of which is a debut: Donny Hathaway’s “This Christma...
