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If you were expecting to see live performances of the five best original song nominees on the 97th annual Academy Awards on March 2, be prepared for something different this year. Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and Janet Yang, Academy president, sent a letter to Academy members on Wednesday (Jan. 22) in which they said, “This year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.” This is reminiscent of something the Grammy Awards did in 1981, when they had the songwriters of the song of the year nominees perform and discuss the nominated songs. As David Wild wrote in the 2007 book And the Grammy Goes To… The Official Story of Music’s Most Coveted Award, “One innovative moment came at the end of the show. Many years before shows like MTV’s Unplugged or VH1’s Storytellers, this Grammy show presented a group of songwriters nominated for song of the year – including Amanda McBroom (‘The Rose’), Christopher Cross (‘Sailing’), Fred Ebb and John Kander (‘New York, New York’), Dean Pitchford and Michael Gore (‘Fame’) and Lionel Richie (‘Lady’) – to both explain and perform stripped-down versions of the songs. It was a vivid reminder of the power of the songwriter.” In their letter to academy members, Kramer and Yang also wrote “We are thrilled to bring back our ‘Fab 5’ moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees.” This refers to a technique first used on the 2009 Oscar telecast and revived last year, in which five previous winners in each of the four acting categories take turns lauding this year’s nominees. (In a press conference days before the 2024 Oscars telecast, Raj Kapoor, executive producer and showrunner of the 2024 and 2025 Oscars, said he loved those introductions on the 2009 show and revived the idea. “It was this lovely storytelling,” he said. “And, again, it came down to connection. It was past winners speaking to present nominees, and just that lovely connection and that human interaction.”) Kramer and Yang also said that the show will pay tribute to Los Angeles, which has experienced devastating wildfires in recent weeks. “We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry.” Here’s the letter from Kramer and Yang in full: Dear Academy members, Our deepest thanks to all of you for your compassion and support over the last few weeks. Our thoughts remain with those who were impacted by the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires. If you would like to join the Academy in supporting the ongoing relief efforts, please click here for a list of aid resources. After continued consultation with ABC, our board, and other key stakeholders in the Los Angeles and film communities, planning continues for the 97th Oscars ceremony on Sunday, March 2. This year’s Oscars will celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires. As a reminder, our 97th Oscars Nominations will be announced tomorrow, January 23, at 5:30am PT via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook), ABC’s Good Morning America, and ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. American Sign Language (ASL) services will be available on YouTube. As a precursor to tomorrow’s announcement, we wanted to share a little bit about this year’s show. Hosted by the incredible Conan O’Brien, our 97th Oscars will be a celebration of connection and collaboration – honoring the unifying spirit and creative synergy of moviemaking. We will highlight the transformative power of the teamwork that brings cinematic visions to life. As part of this, we are thrilled to bring back our “Fab 5” moments, where individual film artists recognize nominees. Also, this year the Best Original Song category presentation will move away from live performances and will be focused on the songwriters. We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees. And we will honor Los Angeles as the city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience, as well as its role as a beacon for filmmakers and creative visionaries for over a century. We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry. There is so much more in store, including powerful musical moments that connect film’s rich history to its bold and inspiring future. We hope you will tune in tomorrow morning to watch the Nominations Announcement, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing commitment to the Academy and our film community. We are stronger together. Bill Kramer and Janet Yang Source link

Though it pulled up just short of the top spot on the Billboard 200 last week, on this week’s chart (dated Jan. 25), Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos claims pole position. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Fotos moves 203,500 units in its second frame — its first full week of release, after having been released on Sunday, Jan. 5, already two days into the prior tracking week. The set, which features Bad Bunny dipping into genres like salsa and plena that reflect his Puerto Rican roots, becomes the superstar’s fourth consecutive No. 1 on the chart, following 2020’s El Último Tour del Mundo, 2022’s Un Verano Sin Ti and 2023’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. How did the album manage such a successful second week? And what does its success mean for the industry in general? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below. 1. Debí Tirar Más Fotos climbs from No. 2 to No. 1 this week on the Billboard 200, in its first full week on the chart, to become his fourth consecutive No. 1 album on the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how significant an achievement is this for Bad Bunny? Jason Lipshutz: An 8. After Debí Tirar Más Fotos started at No. 2 behind Lil Baby’s WHAM (albeit with a truncated first week), it was worth wondering whether the prospect of a new Bad Bunny album still commanded the same level of enthusiasm as it did four years ago, when he first began debuting in the top spot of the Billboard 200 without much issue. With the new album demonstrating its staying power on streaming and pushing to No. 1 in its second week, though, those minor concerns are put to rest. Regardless of where this album peaked, Bad Bunny remained an A-list superstar — but scoring another No. 1 album, which seems to be growing ever more mighty on streaming platforms, reiterates that he’s an A-list albums artist, too. Sigal Ratner-Arias: A 10. Having four consecutive albums in Spanish reaching the No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 is quite remarkable, if not historic, and I don’t think Bad Bunny takes it for granted either. Benito works hard, knows his audience, reinvents himself once and again while staying true to himself — and, in this case, he also did the extra work, with a huge promotional campaign after releasing the album on a Sunday. Isabela Raygoza: 9. This accomplishment further highlights Bad Bunny’s exceptional star prowess. It’s important to note that he released the album on a Sunday, deviating from the standard new music release day of Friday. This timing meant that potential sales from a full cycle (seven days) were not captured in the album’s first week on the charts. It’s also important to consider that Lil Baby’s Wham! debuted at No. 1 with 140,000 first-week equivalent album units, while Bad Bunny initially landed at No. 2 with 122,000 units. However, what’s particularly remarkable is Bad Bunny’s streaming success; despite the non-traditional release day, Debí Tirar debuted at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart. This achievement exemplifies how his solid fan base and increasing streaming strength can significantly impact his chart performance. Jessica Roiz: 10. This is the album that really hits home for him — lyrically and musically. Strikingly different from El Último Tour del Mundo — which became the first all-Spanish-language album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the chart’s 64-year history — as an album with alternative edge and chill melodies, DtMF embodies the culture and sentiment of an entire island: Puerto Rico. A proud Boricua is what Bad Bunny has been showcasing in each of his perreo and trap projects since the getgo, but to reach No. 1 with a primarily tropical-laced reggaetón album, which also includes salsa, bomba, plena and a lot of Puerto Rican slang, takes the Billboard 200 champ to a whole nother level.   Andrew Unterberger: An 8.5. In a sense it’s business as usual for Benito — just another No. 1 album in what is now a long string of them — but to reach the apex in the album’s second week, and with such a massive number, really shows how excited listeners still are about Bad Bunny. His numbers were mostly still there on Nadie Sabe and its associated singles, but the excitement wasn’t, at least not to this degree. 2. While Bunny’s previous album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana debuted at No. 1, it did so with a smaller first-week number (184,000) than Fotos posts in its second frame (203,500), and then fell to No. 4. What do you think is the biggest reason for the improved performance of this set? Jason Lipshutz: It’s the same reason that Debí Tirar Más Fotos started off relatively slowly following its Sunday release, and has been growing by leaps and bounds since then — fans love this new album, although the non-Friday release following the holiday music season may have taken them a minute to embrace it as part of their listening diet. While Nadie Sabe offered a more diverse sonic palette than 2022’s crowd-pleasing Un Verano Sin Ti, the new album represents an anthemic homage to Bad Bunny’s native Puerto Rico, with “DtMF” as the type of standout single that its predecessor lacked. The high quality and accessibility of Fotos have positioned the project as potentially one of Bad Bunny’s biggest yet. Sigal Ratner-Arias: A loyal fan base and word of mouth, as the album is more reminiscent of the eclectic and experimental vibe of Un Verano Sin Ti – this time infused with Puerto Rican rhythms like plena and salsa — than the more Latin trap-focused Nadie Sabe. An aggressive and fun campaign, with Benito giving more interviews and doing more promotion than with his last efforts; he’s been EVERYWHERE last week. And the announcement of his upcoming Puerto Rico live residency couldn’t be more timely. Isabela Raygoza: The marked improvement in

Jelly Roll is teaming up with Contemporary Christian Music hitmaker Brandon Lake for a new collaboration on a fresh version of Lake’s hit song “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” Both Lake and Jelly Roll teased the song on social media this week, and the collaboration will officially release Feb. 7. In November, Lake earned his Billboard Hot 100 debut with “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” which also became his sixth No. 1 on the Hot Christian Songs chart. The song’s sound and message resonated with listeners, prompting Lake to release his eight-track EP Hard Fought Hallelujah: Heavyweight Edition, featuring various versions of the song, including live, demo, acoustic and instrumental versions. Lake shared a video snippet of the song on his Instagram, and Jelly Roll’s wife Bunnie XO commented on the post, writing of her husband Jelly Roll, “My baby is fineeee.” Written by Lake with Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings, Elevation Church singer-songwriter Chris Brown and Rodrick Simmons, the song features lyrics including “I’ll bring my storm-tossed, torn-sail, story-to-tell hallelujah.” “I wanted to give my fans a taste of something special while on the road,” Lake shared of the song, according to CCM Magazine. “This song is about the battles we face, the grit throughout the fight for faith and the praise that comes after. I hope it resonates deeply with everyone.” The collaboration seems a natural pairing for the two artists, as Jelly Roll often includes faith-centered references in his own music, while Lake’s brand of worship music wraps in hard rock and soulful influences. Jelly Roll’s current album, Beautifully Broken, topped the Billboard 200 last year, while Lake most recently earned Grammy nominations for best contemporary Christian music album (Coat of Many Colors) and best Contemporary Christian music performance/song (for “Praise”). Lake also picked up songwriter of the year (artist) and Pop/contemporary album of the year (for Coat of Many Colors) trophies at the 2024 GMA Dove Awards. See a preview of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” below: Source link

Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Ariana DeBose, FKA Twigs and Jack Black are among the music stars who are nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards. The Razzies, as they are commonly known, have been criticized as catty, cruel and sophomoric, but they endure because they offer an antidote to Hollywood’s ever-expanding season of self-congratulation. It’s a simple fact that in the life of a performer, some projects are successful and some aren’t. Gaga’s Joker: Folie à Deux did not find its audience, but, happily, even as her Razzie nomination is announced, her “Die With a Smile” collab with Bruno Mars is in its third week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And she is heading into the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2 as a double nominee for that sumptuous smash. Six of this year’s Razzie nominees are past Oscar winners, which again shows that sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, to quote an old Carole King song. In addition to Gaga, Oscar winners on this year’s Razzie list are Joaquin Phoenix (her co-star in Joker: Folie a Deux), DeBose, Cate Blanchett, Jon Voight and Francis Ford Coppola. Joker: Folie à Deux, the musical sequel to Todd Phillips’ 2019 film Joker (which received 11 Oscar nominations and won two) leads the field with seven Razzie nominations. Madame Web, Megalopolis, Borderlands and Reagan are close behind with six nods apiece. Joker: Folie à Deux is competing for worst picture with Borderlands, Madame Web, Megalopolis and Reagan. It is vying for prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel with The Crow, Kraven the Hunter, Mufasa: The Lion King and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. Leslie Anne Down is nominated for a Razzie for playing Margaret Thatcher in Reagan. Meryl Streep won an Oscar for playing the late British Prime Minister in The Iron Lady. The Razzie winners, if that is the right word, will be announced on March 1, the day before the Academy Awards. See the full list of this year’s Razzie nominations below. Worst Picture Borderlands Joker: Folie a Deux Madame Web Megalopolis Reagan Worst Actor Jack Black, Dear Santa Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon Joaquin Phoenix, Joker: Folie a Deux Dennis Quaid, Reagan Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted Worst Actress Cate Blanchett, Borderlands Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie a Deux Bryce Dallas Howard, Argylle Dakota Johnson, Madame Web Jennifer Lopez, Atlas Supporting Actor Jack Black (voice only), Borderlands Kevin Hart, Borderlands Shia LaBeouf, Megalopolis Tahar Rahim, Madame Web Jon Voight, Megalopolis, Reagan, Shadow Land and Strangers Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose, Argylle and Kraven the Hunter Leslie Anne Down (as Margaret Thatcher), Reagan Emma Roberts, Madame Web Amy Schumer, Unfrosted FKA Twigs, The Crow Director S.J. Clarkson, Madame Web Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie a Deux Eli Roth, Borderlands Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted Screen Combo Any Two Obnoxious Characters (But Especially Jack Black), Borderlands Any Two Unfunny “Comedic Actors,” Unfrosted The Entire Cast of Megalopolis Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie a Deux Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller (as “Ronnie and Nancy”), Reagan Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel The Crow Joker: Folie a Deux Kraven the Hunter Mufasa: The Lion King Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver Screenplay Joker: Folie a Deux Kraven the Hunter Madame Web Megalopolis Reagan Source link

Rüfüs Du Sol will play a show benefitting Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts on March 6 at the Hollywood Palladium. The one night only performance will feature a DJ set by the Australia-born, U.S.-based group. 100% of the ticket proceeds from the Live Nation produced event will be donated to California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund, which is focused on directing resources with people most in need. Tickets go on sale via Ticketmaster this Thursday (Jan. 23) at 10 a.m. PT. The show will happen six days before the launch of the trio’s previously announced world tour in support of their fifth studio album. The trek kicks off starts in Guadalajara, Mexico on March 12, extends through November and includes a sold out show at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Los Angeles was home to Rüfüs Du Sol when they first moved to the U.S. from their native Australia, with the trio writing “Los Angeles we love you,” on their social media post announcing the show. The show announcement comes on the heels of a new fire in the Los Angeles area, with the Hughes Fire forcing evacuations in Castaic, an area just north of Los Angeles, after starting on the morning of Jan. 22. Red flag warnings, which indicate an increased risk of fire danger, remain in effect for Los Angeles and Ventura counties until Thursday (Jan. 23.) With the show announcement, Rüfüs Du Sol joins a long list of artists getting involved in wildfire relief efforts. The FireAid concert is set to take place on Jan. 30 at the Kia Forum and the Intuit Dome with a star-studded lineup including Billie Eilish, Dave Matthews & John Mayer, Earth, Wind & Fire, Green Day, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Lil Baby, Peso Pluma, Stevie Nicks, Sting and more. The 2025 Grammys and its attendant MusiCare event has also announced a focus on wildfire relief efforts. After starting on Jan. 7, the Eaton and Palisades fires have decimated entire neighborhoods in Los Angeles, killing at least 28 people, displacing thousands and damaging or destroying at least 15,000 structures. Source link

If Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” wins record and/or song of the year at the 2025 Grammy Awards on Feb. 2, it wouldn’t be the first hit conceived as a Drake diss track to do so. Childish Gambino’s 2018 smash “This Is America” started off as a funny Drake diss record, the rapper revealed in a 2023 GQ cover story. “This idea for the song started as a joke,” he said. “To be completely honest, ‘This Is America’ – that was all we had was that line. It started as a Drake diss, to be honest, as like a funny way of doing it. But then I was like, ‘This s—t sounds kind of hard, though.’ So I was like, ‘Let me play with it.’” It wasn’t the first time Gambino (real name Donald Glover) took shots at The Boy. In 2014, he shut down Drake comparisons by rapping, “’This n—a think he Drake.’ Nah, I ain’t Drake. I sing better. I do better. My s—t’s wetter” during his show in Australia, where he also claimed he was “the best rapper” over Lamar, Drake and ScHoolboy Q. However, two months later, Gambino clarified that he didn’t hate Drake during a one-on-one conversation with Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. “This Is America” went on to win four Grammys at the 2019 ceremony — record and song of the year, best music video and best rap/sung performance. Fast forward four years later, Drake projected the headline “The overrated and over awarded hit song ‘This Is America’ was originally a Drake diss record” during his performance of “Headlines.” “Not Like Us,” which arose from Lamar and Drake’s epic rap beef last year, is also nominated for best music video, best rap song and best rap performance on top of the two Big Four nods. It’s not the only accomplishment the song shares with “This Is America.” Both songs spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. “Not Like Us” and “This Is America” also won both best hip-hop video and impact track at the BET Hip-Hop Awards and have been nominated for best video at the MTV Europe Music Awards. “Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now,” Drake rapped on “Family Matters” last year. And guess what, Drizzy? Someone just might. Source link

GloRilla links back-to-back No. 1s on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as her collaboration with Sexyy Red, “Whatchu Kno About Me,” replaces her own “TGIF” at the summit. The switch happens on the list dated Jan. 25, as “Whatchu Kno About Me,” released on CMG/Interscope/ICLG, jumps from No. 3 to become GloRilla’s third champ and Sexyy Red’s first leader on the radio ranking. “Whatchu Kno About Me” reaches No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, which ranks songs by combined audience totals across monitored adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations, with 16.3 million audience impressions in the U.S. in the tracking week of Jan. 10-16, according to Luminate, a 16% surge from the previous week. The new champ evicts GloRilla’s own “TGIF” from the penthouse after the latter’s 16-week domination from October to January. The move is actually the second straight self-replacement atop R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Directly before “TGIF” captured the throne, Kendrick Lamar successfully engineered a self-swap: The rapper’s “Like That” collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin ruled for three weeks in June before ceding the top slot to “Not Like Us,” which wrapped 15 weeks at the summit. Among women, GloRilla’s self-replacement is the first since Tems accomplished it in November 2022. Then, the singer-songwriter and Drake featured on Future’s “Wait for You,” which, at the end of its 13-week reign, yielded to her solo hit “Free Mind,” which scored 22 weeks in charge. With “Whatchu Kno About Me,” GloRilla achieves her third No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. In addition to the incumbent and “TGIF,” she posted a five-week reign through “Tomorrow 2,” a collaboration with Cardi B, in 2022-23. Sexyy Red, meanwhile, claims her maiden R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay No. 1. Before the current champ, the rapper previously had a career peak of No. 5 with “U My Everything,” a team-up with Drake, last September. In reaching No. 1, “Whatchu Kno About Me” outdoes the chart peak of its Southern rap classic sample, Lil Boosie’s “Wipe Me Down,” featuring Foxx and Webbie, which reached No. 8 in 2007 and spent 31 weeks on the radio list. Elsewhere, “Whatchu Kno About Me” wins a fifth straight week atop Rap Airplay following an 8% increase in audience and a second week at No. 1 on the spins-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up 19% in plays for the week). Source link

Nominees: “Asteroids” (Marlanna Evans); “Carnival” (Jordan Carter, Raul Cubina, Grant Dickinson, Samuel Lindley, Nasir Pemberton, Dimitri Roger, Tyrone Griffin Jr., Kanye West, and Mark Carl Stolinski Williams); “Like That” (Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Kobe Hood, Leland Wayne, and Nayvadius Wilburn); “Not Like Us” (Duckworth); “Yeah Glo!” (Ronnie Jackson, Jaucquez Lowe, Timothy McKibbins, Kevin Andre Price, Julius Rivera III, and Gloria Woods) Analysis: Let’s be real, it would probably be the most shocking moment of the night if Lamar’s “Not Like Us” doesn’t take home best rap song and performance. A two-week Hot 100 chart-topper that transcended its beef origins and became a cultural anthem, “Not Like Us” is far and away the frontrunner here — even if it’s the subject of Drake’s explosive, ongoing lawsuit against UMG. Lamar is also nominated here alongside Future, Metro Boomin, and Kobe “BbyKobe” Hood for writing “Like That,” the Hot 100 chart-topped that kicked his feud with Drake into high gear. Future has earned three previous nods in this category, but he’s lost each time. A victory for “Like That” would give Future and Metro their first wins here, and help Kendrick break a tie with Jay-Z to become the rapper with the second-most triumphs in this category (five). But what if “Like That” and “Not Like Us” split votes? Perhaps, the Academy goes for somebody familiar like Ye (formerly Kanye West), who boasts the most nominations (17) and wins (seven) in this category’s history. Ye’s nomination comes from “Carnival,” his first Hot 100 chart-topper as a part of ¥$ (his duo with Ty Dolla $ign). With Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid in featured roles, a win for “Carnival” would reward hip-hop icons and new class alike. Rapsody and GloRilla are looking to join Megan Thee Stallion as the only female rappers to win this category. This is Glo’s first nod in a songwriting category, and while “Yeah Glo!” was undoubtedly one of her defining hits from last year, she probably won’t be able to beat out the stiff competition here. Rapsody earned her first nomination here in 2018 with “Sassy.” This year, she’s represented by “Asteroids,” the only song in this category outside of “Not Like Us” to feature just one credited writer. While she was able to score an accompanying nod in best melodic rap performance, missing out on a best rap album nod for Please Don’t Cry signals some weakness in her rap field support. Prediction: Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us” Look Out For: Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, “Like That” Source link

Ana Navarro took aim at Snoop Dogg during Tuesday morning’s (Jan. 21) episode of The View, likening the rapper to a “trained seal” after he performed at a pro-Donald Trump event during inauguration weekend. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The host, who is both a GOP Republican strategist and a Trump critic, made the comment after her cohost Sunny Hostin expressed disappointment in the Black performers who participated in the inaugural events, feeling as though it was hypocrisy to support a President that she believes hasn’t fairly treated minorities. Some of those artists included Snoop, Nelly and Village People member Victor Willis. Navarro called out the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper specifically — who performed at the pre-inaugural Crypto Ball — for appearing to change his beliefs in recent years, pointing out that “before the inauguration in 2017,” he did things like include a scene in his “Lavender” music video holding up a gun to the head of a Trump lookalike. In 2024, he told The Times that he has “nothing but love and respect for Donald Trump.” “If you opposed and stood up against Trump in 2017, but you were there now. If you spoke up against Trump Jan. 7, 2021, but you were there now applauding him like a trained seal — Donald Trump has not changed, you’ve changed,” she said. Billboard has reached out to Snoop Dogg’s reps for comment, but has not heard back at the time of publication. Watch the full conversation on The View below. Source link

In the earlier days of his career, touring wasn’t necessarily Kygo‘s favorite thing to do. “It was like every show was life or death,” says the Norwegian producer. “I was always very nervous. It was like, ‘This is the most important [thing ever], and if I mess up tonight, my career is over.’” With this extreme self-imposed pressure, the artist “wasn’t really able to enjoy the shows that much. At one point I was like, ‘I’m probably never going to tour again,’ because it was just so exhausting.” Flash forward to the present moment and Kygo — whose real name is Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll — has a fresh approach and attendant attitude, calling his current world tour “definitely my favorite that I’ve done so far.” Starting last September, the 35-date tour has hit arenas and amphitheaters in North America, Europe and Central America, averaging slightly over 10,000 tickets and $838,000 in revenue per show, according to numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore. The run is continuing into 2025, with shows in Asia and Australia. Additionally, the producer plays this Thursday (Jan. 23) in Toronto and Saturday (Jan. 25) in Mexico City, where Kygo will play what he calls “the biggest show of the tour by far.” See exclusive behind the scenes footage of this tour below. Despite this success, Shear acknowledges that the run hasn’t made the same headlines as other recent marquee dance tours, such as Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s 2024 Sweat Tour. “We’ve quietly been doing this unbelievable tour that’s sold over a half a million tickets,” he says. “There are a lot of tours out there. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and there’s a lot of new artists. But we’re going out there and doing the business. Kygo is just quietly winning in the dance music world.” This current run is behind Kygo’s 2024 eponymous album, the artist’s fifth studio project that hit No. 97 on the Billboard 200 after its release last June. The tour is also his first in six years, since the run behind 2017’s Kids in Love. (Golden Hour and Thrill of the Chase came out in 2020 and 2022, respectively, although Kygo wasn’t able to tour behind them because of the pandemic.) While the Kids in Love tour required 12 trucks to move it from city to city, this current tour requires 17 trucks and a crew of 58. When brainstorming the production, Kygo and Shear decided the music and visuals would lean into the fact that Kygo has been making music for a decade, with this kind of looking back approach inspired, Shear says, by Dead & Co.’s nostalgia-laced run at Sphere in Las Vegas last summer. As such, set lists featured visuals that nod to entirety of Kygo’s career thus far, while the setlist spans albums and hits. Vocalists including Justin Jesso, Zak Abel and Parson James are on the tour to sing their parts on “Firestone,” “Freedom” and “Stole the Show,” respectively. “Kyrre told me that doing a tour was extremely important to him,” says Shear. “It’s not like every dance artist goes out there like a rock band or a pop star and does hard tickets in arenas or stadiums. “He was like, ‘The fact that I’m able to do it, I want to do whatever it takes to make this tour happen.’” Kygo himself credits his ability to tour such big rooms — an option available to only a handful of dance acts including Illenium and Odesza — is a function of he and his team “not skipping any steps” while he was building his career. (Kygo is represented by Rob Markus at WME.) His earliest U.S. tour had him playing 200-700 capacity rooms, with each run getting progressively larger. “We were living with my parents at the time, and Kyrre was staying in my brother’s room,” Shear says of these early days. “I went in my brother’s room, and was like, ‘Hey man, we found this guy who used to work with Disclosure and other big artists. He knows how to build live shows, and I think we should build one. We emptied the bank account making that show.” This groundwork and investment has paid off, with Shear citing “the most tickets we’ve ever sold” on this current run. “I know so many people focusing on streams or on this or that, but the fans follow you as long as you do them right, take care of them and keep bringing an elevated show.” Sometimes, this elevation requires some extra effort. The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles doesn’t have the space to erect a B stage where Kygo typically performs his encore. As such, the team improvised for the Oct. 17 show, setting up a riser in the middle of the amphitheater amid the seats. Getting there from the stage just meant, Kygo says, “that we just had to run a little bit.” Kygo Johannes Lovund Outside the tour, Kygo and Shear’s multi-faceted Palm Tree Crew brand continues expanding. Its first brick and mortar space, the 115-room hotel and restaurant Palm Tree Club Miami, opened last December. Meanwhile, Palm Tree Festival has happened in Aspen, The Hamptons, Southern California and beyond over the last several years. Some of these festivals feature Kygo on the lineup, and some don’t. “I was with him in Paris a few weeks ago when he was playing Accor Arena, one of the biggest shows on tour,” says Shear. “At the same time, we opened a restaurant and club in Miami the night before and we were also throwing a music festival in Australia with 30,000 people and The Chainsmokers, and Kyrre isn’t even at either of them. I think that’s a true testament to a great brand we’ve brought to the world, and one that just sort of feeds off his demeanor.” This demeanor is one that’s also changed as Kygo has become more experienced, and over time more relaxed, about touring. “There’s definitely been some f–k-ups on the