Categoría: Billboard

This week’s crop of new songs features Zac Brown Band teaming with Dolly Parton for an uplifting new track. Meanwhile, Brandi Carlile previews her upcoming album with the new anthem “Returning To Myself.” Collabs continue as Shaboozey teams with Stephen Wilson Jr. for a brooding, while NEEDTOBREATHE joins forces with The Red Clay Strays on a compelling song of redemption and grace. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below. Zac Brown Band feat. Dolly Parton, “Butterfly” Parton has long proven she’s exemplary at teaming with artists for inspiring collaborations, from her Brad Paisley collab “When I Get Where I’m Going,” to her Grammy-winning collabs with For King & Country and Zach Williams. Here, she teams with Zac Brown Band for an uplifting, soulful collaboration, with tightly-woven harmonies and lush strings, while Parton’s shimmering soprano is a perfect foil for Brown’s grainy, powerful voice. “You don’t have to practice anything that they preach,” they sing, coming together on a song about accepting one’s self and being unafraid to break free from unhealthy situations in a quest for peace. Brandi Carlile, “Returning to Myself” Carlile, an 11-time Grammy winner, previews her first solo album in four years, with this gorgeous title track. “Returning to Myself” ponders the benefits and costs of shifting from collaboration to self-focused efforts. “Oh, what an easy way to be/ Only kneeling at the altar of the great and mighty me,” Carlile sings, considering the heightened emotional merits of loving and helping those around oneself, but also the essentialness of prioritizing oneself. Along the way, it seems she finds that the two may not be mutually exclusive, as she sings, “Returning to myself is just returning me to you.” Carlile has spent the past few years as a key collaborator with artists including Joni Mitchell, Tanya Tucker and Elton John. Returning To Myself is out Oct. 24 via Interscope Records and Lost Highway. Jackson Dean, “Make a Liar” With his song “Heavens to Betsy” riding in the top 15 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, Dean releases this groovy track finds him feigning indifference to an ex-lover on lines such as “I don’t want you to want me/ You ain’t what I need,” but eventually those defensive walls crumble as he dares his ex to prove him wrong. Written by Dean with Luke Dick and Randy Montana, the new song has a slinky, sultry vibe, while showcasing Dean’s superb, soulful vocals. Emily Ann Roberts, “Jack and Jill Daniel’s” Roberts, who just signed a label deal with RECORDS/Sony Music Nashville, offers up a dramatic tale of heartbreak and betrayal that leads to life-changing success. “She put the fire in his heart/ He put the burn in the bottle,” Roberts sings, pouring just the right amount of spitfire twang into the track to make it steeped with believability. Written by Roberts, Trent Willmon, Ryan Beaver and Jeremy Spillman, “Jack and Jill Daniel’s” further builds Roberts’s reputation as a stellar singer-songwriter, with a voice and perspective wholly her own. Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson, Jr., “Took a Walk” Shaboozey, who just celebrated his second No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit with “Good News,” teams with Wilson Jr. on this song that’s featured as the ending theme in the film The Long Walk. This moody track explores the search for connection during life’s uncertain pathways, as Shaboozey sings, “The key to life is enjoying the journey/ When you don’t know the end.” Stately percussion and lush guitar work frame the artists’ commanding vocals, elevating the song’s sense of world-weary intensity. NEEDTOBREATHE (feat. The Red Clay Strays), “Momma Loves Me” NEEDTOBREATHE and The Red Clay Strays team up on this track written by NEEDTOBREATHE’s Bear Rinehart and produced by Dave Cobb. Together, the two groups wrap their soulful, gospel music-tinged harmonies around this song of forgiveness, grace and gratefulness. Restrained instrumentation keeps the focus on Rinehart and Red Clay Strays lead singer Brandon Coleman’s commanding voices. “I ain’t scared of where I’m going/ I ain’t proud of where I’ve been,” Rinehart sings, tracing a story of disappointments, wrong choices and painful consequences, but ultimately finding happiness in the unrelenting, freely-given love of a mother and belief in redemption. The two groups’ blend is strikingly powerful. Source link

Rick Davies, a founding member and singer/keyboardist for prog rock group Supertramp, died on Saturday (Sept. 5) at his Long Island, N.Y. home at age 81. The passing of the writer and voice of such indelible hits as “Goodbye Stranger” and “Bloody Well Right” was confirmed by the group in a statement honoring his half century of service in the group. “The Supertramp Partnership is very sad to announce the death of Supertramp founder Rick Davies after a long illness,” the band wrote in a statement that said Davies had been sick with the blood cancer multiple myeloma for more than a decade. “We had the privilege of knowing him, and playing with him for over 50 years. We offer our sincere condolences to Sue Davies.” The statement continued, “As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history. His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the bands’ sound. Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades. After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.” Born in Swindon, England on July 22, 1944, Davies was first attracted to music after his parents gave him a record player and he became obsessed with the album Drummin’ Man by legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa. After playing with a series of bands in high school and college, including Rick’s Blues (with pop singer Gilbert O’Sullivan) and the Lonely Ones, Davies put an ad in Melody Maker magazine in 1969 looking for bandmates to join him, with vocalist Roger Hodgson signing on along with guitarist Richard Palmer and drummer Keith Baker. Taking a name inspired by Welsh author William Henry Davies’ 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, the group signed to A&M Records, which released their self-titled debut album in 1970. After a few lineup changes, the prog rock group released 1971’s Indelibly Stamped, with Davies handling lead vocals on most of the tracks as he and Hodgson shared songwriting duties. But it wasn’t until 1974’s Crime of the Century that the band had its first commercial breakthrough, with the album hitting No. 38 on the Billboard 200 chart and Davies-penned single “Bloody Well Right” running up to No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. After a mis-fire with the 1975 LP Crisis? What Crisis? featuring leftovers from the previous album, the band earned its first gold record in the U.S. with 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments… which hit No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the pop-leaning No. 15 Billboard pop singles chart hit “Give a Little Bit,” with vocals by Hodgson. Further leaning into their pop proclivities, the band finally broke through with their landmark Grammy-nominated sixth album, Breakfast in America, which spun off a series of sing-along radio hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 6 smash “The Logical Song,” as well as “Take the Long Way Home” (No. 10) and the bouncy Davies-written “Goodbye Stranger” (No. 15). In keeping with previous releases, the songs included lead vocals by both men, with both also getting songwriting credits on the tunes. After a filler live album, 1980’s Paris, Hodgson departed following 1982’s …Famous Last Words… after years of battles over the group’s creative direction and songwriting royalties, leaving Davies as the lead man for 1985’s Brother Where You Bound. That collection featured one of the group’s final chart hits, the Hot 100 No. 28-charter “Cannonball,” along with a meandering, ambitious 16-minute title track with guitar solo from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Supertramp’s 1987 album Free as a Bird featured another left turn, this time into dance-y synthesizer-fueled new wave tunes and marked their first LP not to make it into the top 100 on the Billboard album charts. The Davies-fronted group would release two more albums, 1997’s Some Things Never Change and 2002 swan song, Slow Motion, and continue to tour until 2012. And while they announced a European tour in 2015, it was ultimately scotched due to Davies’ treatment for multiple myeloma. Listen to “Bloody Well Right,” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Cannonball” below.    Source link

Rick Davies, a founding member and singer/keyboardist for prog rock group Supertramp, died on Saturday (Sept. 5) at his Long Island, N.Y. home at age 81. The passing of the writer and voice of such indelible hits as “Goodbye Stranger” and “Bloody Well Right” was confirmed by the group in a statement honoring his half century of service in the group. “The Supertramp Partnership is very sad to announce the death of Supertramp founder Rick Davies after a long illness,” the band wrote in a statement that said Davies had been sick with the blood cancer multiple myeloma for more than a decade. “We had the privilege of knowing him, and playing with him for over 50 years. We offer our sincere condolences to Sue Davies.” The statement continued, “As co-writer, along with partner Roger Hodgson, he was the voice and pianist behind Supertramp’s most iconic songs, leaving an indelible mark on rock music history. His soulful vocals and unmistakable touch on the Wurlitzer became the heartbeat of the bands’ sound. Beyond the stage, Rick was known for his warmth, resilience, and devotion to his wife Sue, with whom he shared over five decades. After facing serious health challenges, which kept him unable to continue touring as Supertramp, he enjoyed performing with his hometown buds as Ricky and the Rockets.” Born in Swindon, England on July 22, 1944, Davies was first attracted to music after his parents gave him a record player and he became obsessed with the album Drummin’ Man by legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa. After playing with a series of bands in high school and college, including Rick’s Blues (with pop singer Gilbert O’Sullivan) and the Lonely Ones, Davies put an ad in Melody Maker magazine in 1969 looking for bandmates to join him, with vocalist Roger Hodgson signing on along with guitarist Richard Palmer and drummer Keith Baker. Taking a name inspired by Welsh author William Henry Davies’ 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, the group signed to A&M Records, which released their self-titled debut album in 1970. After a few lineup changes, the prog rock group released 1971’s Indelibly Stamped, with Davies handling lead vocals on most of the tracks as he and Hodgson shared songwriting duties. But it wasn’t until 1974’s Crime of the Century that the band had its first commercial breakthrough, with the album hitting No. 38 on the Billboard 200 chart and Davies-penned single “Bloody Well Right” running up to No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. After a mis-fire with the 1975 LP Crisis? What Crisis? featuring leftovers from the previous album, the band earned its first gold record in the U.S. with 1977’s Even in the Quietest Moments… which hit No. 16 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned the pop-leaning No. 15 Billboard pop singles chart hit “Give a Little Bit,” with vocals by Hodgson. Further leaning into their pop proclivities, the band finally broke through with their landmark Grammy-nominated sixth album, Breakfast in America, which spun off a series of sing-along radio hits, including the Billboard Hot 100 No. 6 smash “The Logical Song,” as well as “Take the Long Way Home” (No. 10) and the bouncy Davies-written “Goodbye Stranger” (No. 15). In keeping with previous releases, the songs included lead vocals by both men, with both also getting songwriting credits on the tunes. After a filler live album, 1980’s Paris, Hodgson departed following 1982’s …Famous Last Words… after years of battles over the group’s creative direction and songwriting royalties, leaving Davies as the lead man for 1985’s Brother Where You Bound. That collection featured one of the group’s final chart hits, the Hot 100 No. 28-charter “Cannonball,” along with a meandering, ambitious 16-minute title track with guitar solo from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. Supertramp’s 1987 album Free as a Bird featured another left turn, this time into dance-y synthesizer-fueled new wave tunes and marked their first LP not to make it into the top 100 on the Billboard album charts. The Davies-fronted group would release two more albums, 1997’s Some Things Never Change and 2002 swan song, Slow Motion, and continue to tour until 2012. And while they announced a European tour in 2015, it was ultimately scotched due to Davies’ treatment for multiple myeloma. Listen to “Bloody Well Right,” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Cannonball” below.    Source link

KPop Demon Hunters joins our list of albums that spent seven or more weeks in the runner-up spot without (yet) going all the way. 9/8/2025 HUNTR/X Netflix The KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack logs its seventh nonconsecutive week at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 on the chart dated Sept. 13. That is, of course, a tremendous showing. The only disappointing aspect is that the album has yet to reach No. 1. It ranked second behind Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem for six weeks and this week places second behind Sabrina Carpenter‘s debuting Man’s Best Friend. KPop Demon Hunters thus joins our list of albums that spent seven or more weeks in the runner-up spot without going all the way. (Of course, it’s possible that KPop will make it to No. 1 eventually. No one would bet against the pop-culture juggernaut at this point.) The artists with albums that logged seven or more weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1 are a varied bunch, running the gamut from mellow instrumentalist Kenny G to English glam metal band Whitesnake. Our list includes debut albums by Sonny & Cher, Wilson Phillips and C&C Music Factory. There’s also a label sampler from RCA Records that featured many of its biggest stars. The Beatles kept Sonny & Cher’s debut album from reaching No. 1; they also kept two of their own albums from the top spot. Michael Jackson never blocked one of his own albums from the No. 1 spot, but he kept albums by Stray Cats, Journey and Whitesnake from making No. 1. Here are all the albums that have logged seven or more weeks at No. 2 without reaching No. 1. They are ranked from least to most weeks at No. 2, with ties shown in chronological order. Various Artists, 60 Years of Music America Loves Best (7 weeks) First Reached No. 2: March 7, 1960 Blocked From No. 1 by: The Sound of Music original cast album (six weeks), Billy Vaughn’s Theme From a Summer Place (one week) Notes: As the title suggests, this was a compilation of music from 1900-1960. The double-album set was released on RCA Records and included such label stalwarts as Benny Goodman, Harry Belafonte, Mario Lanza, Artie Shaw and Eddy Arnold. RCA released two more volumes in this franchise, both of which also made the top 10. Johnny Mathis, Portrait of Johnny (7 weeks) First Reached No. 2: Sept. 25, 1961 Blocked From No. 1 by: Judy Garland’s Judy at Carnegie Hall (all seven weeks) Notes: Portrait of Johnny was Mathis’ third compilation album, following Johnny’s Greatest Hits (three weeks at No. 1 in 1958) and More Johnny’s Greatest Hits (two weeks at No. 2 in 1959). With so many compilations, you might assume Mathis was veteran artist at that point. Nope: He was just 25 when Portrait of Johnny was released. The best-known song on the album is “How to Handle a Woman” from Lerner & Loewe’s score for Camelot. Mathis and Garland both received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy. The Mamas & the Papas, The Mamas & the Papas Deliver (7 weeks) Image Credit: Wood/Getty Images First Reached No. 2: April 8, 1967 Blocked From No. 1 by: The Monkees’ More of the Monkees (all seven weeks) Notes: This was the Mamas & the Papas’ third studio album and nearly became their second to reach No. 1. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears achieved the feat in 1966. Two singles from Deliver reached the top 10 on the Hot 100: a remake of The Shirelles’ 1961 smash “Dedicated to the One I Love” that climbed even higher than the original and “Creeque Alley.” The Mamas & the Papas and The Monkees would have been surefire Grammy nominees for best new artist of 1966, but the Recording Academy dropped the category that year. Go figure. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes (7 weeks) First Reached No. 2: Feb. 9, 1980 Blocked From No. 1 by: Pink Floyd’s The Wall (all seven weeks) Notes: This was Petty & the Heartbreakers’ third studio album and remained their highest-charting album for more than 34 years, until Hypnotic Eye hit No. 1 in August 2014. Two singles from Damn the Torpedoes reached the top 15 on the Hot 100: “Don’t Do Me Like That” and “Refugee.” Petty & the Heartbreakers and Pink Floyd are both in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. C&C Music Factory, Gonna Make You Sweat (7 weeks) First Reached No. 2: March 30, 1991 Blocked From No. 1 by: Mariah Carey’s Mariah Carey (all seven weeks) Notes: C&C Music Factory’s debut album was kept out of the top spot by Carey’s debut album.Three singles from Gonna Make You Sweat made the top five on the Hot 100: “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” (which spent two weeks at No. 1), “Here We Go” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm…” All featured Freedom Williams. Carey recruited C&C Music Factory’s David Cole and Robert Clivilles to work on her sophomore album, Emotions. They co-wrote and co-produced the title track, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, and “Make It Happen.” KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack (7 weeks so far) First Reached No. 2: July 19, 2025 Blocked From No. 1 by: Morgan Wallen’s I’m the Problem (six weeks); Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend (one week) Notes: This has logged more weeks at No. 2 without (yet) reaching No. 1 than any other soundtrack. It surpasses The Music Man (1962) and Love Story (1971), both of which spent six weeks at No. 2. KPop Demon Hunters is the first soundtrack to spawn four concurrent top 10 hits on the Hot 100 – two by HUNTR/X and two by Saja Boys. “Golden” byHUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna & REI AMI, has topped the Hot 100 for three weeks. Peter, Paul & Mary, (Moving) (8 weeks) First Reached No. 2: March 30, 1963 Blocked From No. 1 by: Frank Fontaine’s Songs I Sing on the Jackie Gleason Show (one week); Andy Williams’ Days of Wine and Roses (seven weeks)

The Country Music Association has revealed the five artists who are competing for new artist of the year, ahead of today’s reveal of the entire list. The new artist nominees are Shaboozey, Zach Top, Ella Langley, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson Jr. This marks the second year in a row that only one woman has been in the running in this category. (Last year’s sole female nominee, Megan Moroney, won the award.) Shaboozey and Top are both vying for the award for the second year in a row. They lost last year to Moroney. (Moroney was on her second nomination when she won. She had lost the previous year to Jelly Roll.) CMA rules allow artists two nominations in this category. If Shaboozey wins, he’ll become the third Black artist to win the category (or a predecessor category, the Horizon Award), following Darius Rucker (2009) and Jimmie Allen (2021). Charley Pride, the most successful Black artist in country music history, landed his first CMA nominations in 1968, 13 years before the inception of the Horizon Award. Shaboozey, Top and Wetmore have all reached the top five on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going hit No. 2 on that chart. Top’s Cold Beer & Country Music and Wetmore’s What Not To both reached No. 4. Top’s follow-up, Ain’t In It for My Health, was released on Aug. 29. Langley won a CMA Award last year in tandem with Riley Green for “you look like you love me,” which was voted musical event of the year. Her debut album, Hungover, reached No. 11 on Top Country Albums. Wilson, who has had the least commercial success of this year’s nominees, is a country and rock guitarist, songwriter and vocalist. At 46, he is among the oldest nominees in the history of the category. Source link

UPDATE (Sep. 8): Further recipients have been announced for the Ivors Academy Honours event (Oct. 2) including industry legends and government figures. Joining RAYE and Kae Tempest as honorees at the ceremony in London are Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group; Kanya King CBE, chief executive and founder of the MOBO Group; Sir Chris Bryant MP, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade; Jon Platt, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Publishing; Catherine Manners, founder of Manners McDade; and the late John Sweeney, vice president, international at SESAC. The event takes place at London’s InterContinental on Park Lane with recipients all being recognised for their work championing songwriters and composers during their time in the industry. PREVIOUSLY (July 24): RAYE has carved out yet another milestone in her ascendant career by becoming a recipient of an Ivors Academy Honour. The Ivors Academy has announced that the multi BRIT award-winning musician will receive the accolade at the maiden Ivors Academy Honours event in London this fall (Oct. 2). The ceremony is set to celebrate the artists and industry figures driving positive change for songwriters and composers, and will take place at the InterContinental London Park Lane. The news follows the announcement that the U.K. government has confirmed the introduction of a £75 per diem for songwriters and session musicians. The agreement has been backed by the U.K. arms of major labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. At The Ivors in 2023, RAYE called on labels to allocate songwriters a share of master recording revenues. In her acceptance speech for the best contemporary song award – which she won for smash hit “Escapism” – she highlighted the need for a greater level of respect to be shown towards “voiceless beating heart of the industry, which is songwriters.” In a statement, Roberto Neri, chief executive of The Ivors Academy said, “An incredible multi award-winning artist, RAYE is the one of the most gifted songwriters of her generation and always gives full respect and voice to fellow writers. She has consistently called for better pay and greater recognition for songwriters, championing structural change to protect the talent behind the music we love. We’re proud to honour her with this well-deserved recognition.” Over the past few years, south Londoner RAYE (born Rachel Keen) has been at the forefront of this conversation, repeatedly pushing for a more inclusive and equitable music industry while also speaking out about the imbalance of power between artists and labels and the financial challenges faced by new artists. She split with her former label Polydor in July 2021, to which she signed in 2014, after taking to social media to explain that they would not let her release any new music unless her singles reached a certain level of commercial success. She has since worked as an independent act via distribution company Human Re Sources, a subsidiary of The Orchard. Her Mercury Prize-nominated debut LP My 21st Century Blues landed in February 2023, hitting No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. The vocalist is currently gearing up for her biggest headline show to date at London’s All Points East festival on Aug. 23. Support acts include Doechii, Cat Burns, and JADE, while Tyla is billed as a special guest. Source link

The King of All Media pulled a fast one on listeners on Monday morning (Sept. 8) when he appeared to announce his retirement from afar when he didn’t show up, as promised, following a long summer break. Howard Stern, 71, was originally slated to be back on air last week amid rumors that his nearly two-decade run at SiriusXM might be coming to an end. He pushed that return back a week with no explanation, and when fans tuned in at 7 a.m. ET on Monday morning they were greeted with Stern fan/friend and fellow SiriusXM voice Andy Cohen seemingly announcing Stern’s channel had been re-branded as “Andy 100.” Cohen leaned into the bit, claiming he was “winging it” amid a “surreal” morning when he was tapped to replace the radio legend. Eagle-eared Stern listeners, however, sniffed out the bit right away, and sure enough, after about 15 minutes of agita over the alleged end of an era, Stern was back behind the mic following the airing of an operatic version of his traditional intro music. With his familiar “hey now,” Stern kicked off the show around 7:16 a.m., thanking Cohen for his “little bit.” “Lest anyone think that was real, that was all masterminded by me,” a satisfied Stern said of the fakeout that briefly ensnared some major media outlets into reporting the end of his radio reign as he took calls from irritated fans who feared the worst, but suspected it was all a ruse. “Everything you’ve been reading in the paper about me or about Robin is completely false,” Stern said as longtime sidekick Robin Quivers asked if the delay in returning was due to an alleged roadblock in Stern renewing his contract. “Last week I was all set to come on and I made the mistake of going the last week of my vacation and actually interacting with people and I got so sick. I thought I had COVID,” said Stern, who has frequently discussed his fear of getting sick since the pandemic and has made a bit of talking about how he tries to avoid interacting other people at all costs. The “cold that won’t go away” has laid him low, he said, noting that he had no voice at all last week and that he told his wife Beth on Sunday night (Sept. 7) that he thought he was dying after attending a Maren Morris charity concert at Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, N.Y. last week. “I was just getting so f–king annoyed with everyone writing me asking me if I was okay because I’d been fired. And I’m like, ‘what a d–k’ thing,’” Stern lamented, saying if he was getting fired — which he was adamant he was not — he didn’t want to discuss it with anyone. “Am I okay? If I got fired I’m not okay, that’s a s–tty way to go out,” Stern said of the swirling, unsubstantiated rumors that he’d been booted from SiriusXM. After more than 30 years on terrestrial radio, Stern signed with Sirius in 2004 — before its merger with XM — debuting in January 2006. The longtime talker who works a Monday-Wednesday schedule, took off the entire summer, which led to a swirl of rumors about his future. This story is updating… Source link

See how the newcomers, hitmakers and veterans stacked up. 9/8/2025 Sabrina Carpenter performs during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in Elmont, New York. Mike Coppola/Getty Images The 2025 VMAs have wrapped, with Lady Gaga walking away from the USB Arena in Elmont, N.Y., with the most Moon Person trophies this year – four in total. Well, technically Gaga left the arena before winning all four of those VMAs – after all, she had a headlining show to perform at Madison Square Garden – but she was there long enough to collect one in person before jetting off to Manhattan. Hosted by LL COOL J, the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards were one of the best VMAs in recent memory, a smart mix of newcomers who brought their A-game (and inventive visuals) and veterans who demonstrated why they’ve lasted in the game so long. Of the latter category, each one received some sort of Moon Person trophy during the three-hour telecast, with Mariah Carey receiving the Video Vanguard Award, Ricky Martin collecting the Latin Icon Award and Busta Rhymes getting the Rock the Bells Visionary Award. As with any awards show, the awards are important, sure – and based on the deeply personal acceptance speeches from ROSÉ and Ariana Grande, they seem to mean quite a lot – but most viewers are tuning in to see some incredible live music. And this year’s VMAs did not disappoint. We’re running down our ranking of the 2025 VMA performances, from worst to best, below. We’re not including the side stage performances (doesn’t really seem fair to rate a 70-second performance against a full-on song) or the pre-recorded halftime show from Gunna (though that was pretty sick). All that being said, here we go. Post Malone & Jelly Roll Usually when he’s at an awards show, Jelly Roll absolutely steals the spotlight, delivering gritty, astonishing vocals and smart, simple staging that knocks your socks off. So maybe the problem with this performance was simply that Jelly Roll and Post Malone were not actually at the show. Beamed in from an arena in Hanover, Germany, this duet on “Losers” sounded fine but just couldn’t complete with magic you get from an in-venue awards show performance. That being said, another VMA performer who did an offsite show at this year’s ceremony absolutely smashed it (more on that later). But her outlandish theatricality goes a long way toward making up for the distance; while Posty and Jelly have chemistry, this duet unfortunately faded into the background. Socks were not, in fact, knocked off. Alex Warren Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” is a certified smash, a Billboard Hot 100 topper and 2025’s song of the summer. But a ballad, no matter how powerful, is a tough proposition at an awards show, and his new single, “Eternity,” didn’t exactly set up this two-song medley to soar. When he brought out the choir for “Ordinary,” his impassioned vocals (and the audience’s enthusiasm) helped right the ship a bit. Even so, with the forest glen staging and the smiling choir singers wearing all-white outfits, the whole thing was giving a bit of “for those suffering from moderate to severe psoriasis” advertisement energy. J Balvin Certainly the night’s most colorful performance came via J Balvin, who brought a widescreen neon vision of boom boxes and palm trees to the VMAs. Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez joined him for recent track “Zun Zun,” before DJ Snake took over, dropping the beat for his Balvin collab “Noventa,” a thumping reggaetón track complete with dancers, a bodega storefront and gigantic shoes. Conan Gray Conan Gray gave the VMAs a queer Sleeping Beauty/Romeo & Juliet fantasia, belting his lovely, emotional “Vodka Cranberry” while draped in princely, velvety robes (and sporting some seriously luscious locks). The fairytale production was sumptuous, the fatalistic ending was romantically theatrical, and that high note he hit toward the end? Pro-level. Mariah Carey As Mariah Carey pointed out in her acceptance speech for the Video Vanguard Award, that award was her first-ever VMA. “What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” she asked. Well, MTV’s tardiness to honor the icon was our gain, as it was a delight to watch the elusive chanteuse take a trip down memory lane, trotting out her evil alter ego Bianca (and roller-skating dancers) for “Heartbreaker,” bringing in a string section for “We Belong Together” and touching front-row fans during “It’s Like That.” Plus, new single “Sugar Sweet” sounded great, making us even more excited for upcoming LP Here For It All (Sept. 26). Ricky Martin Prior to accepting the inaugural Latin Icon Award, Ricky Martin delivered a sizzling medley of bilingual hits, opening with his 1999 smash “Livin’ La Vida Loca” before hitting “Shake Your Bon-Bon,” “The Cup of Life” and more. His voice is a bit deeper and fuller than back in the ‘90s, but that’s not a bad thing – one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Martin’s tireless energy and his dynamite dance moves. He’s still got it, and then some. Busta Rhymes Rapping with a speed and intensity that puts rappers half his age to shame, Busta Rhymes brought fire to the VMAs stage – not to mention GloRilla, Papoose, Spliff Star and Joyner Lucas. Ripping through “Touch It,” “Gimme Some More” and “Pass the Courvoisier,” Rhymes reminded viewers he’s one of New York’s finest. You might point out, hey, didn’t Busta do a career-spanning medley at the VMAs not that long ago? And yes, he did one of those in 2021, too. But when a performance is this strong, who cares? Sombr Sombr, whose debut studio album I Barely Know Her dropped last month, brought some ‘00s New York City dive-bar vibes to the VMAs – which is kinda funny, consider he was born in NYC in 2005. Whether singing in a photobooth or letting a dancer gratuitously lick his chest, Sombr maintained a cool insouciance in his demeanor while wailing through romantic

The eternal dissonance of the MTV Video Music Awards ostensibly celebrating a form no longer actively promoted on the brand’s flagship channel has long made the show a tricky tightrope to be walked. It’s led to a lot of confusion in category nomenclature, of course — with the nouns disappearing from categories like “best pop” and “best hip-hop,” and artists now accepting awards like “song of the summer” and “best album” that are totally divorced from the music video format. But a much bigger concern for the VMAs than what awards they should be giving out in 2025 is who they’re putting the show on for the first place: the kids who have been the lifeblood of the channel’s audience for over 40 years now, or the millennials who actually remember when music videos on MTV still moved the culture. It’s a question whose answer the VMAs annually attempts to split the difference between, usually with some balance of veteran and new performers, mostly weighted towards the latter. A few times in recent years, birthdays had even been given something of a built-in excuse to go retro, via the 40th anniversary of both the channel (2021) and the VMAs themselves (2024), and the widely celebrated 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023. (LL Cool J even closed the ’24 VMAs with a medley to celebrate the iconic Def Jam label turning 40.) Those anniversary-themed tributes and performances occasionally took a little too heavy a touch, but they felt timely enough and were generally spaced out well enough that they didn’t feel like they overwhelmed the newer artists — the artists who would, ostensibly, keep the show relevant enough to keep it from ever turning entirely into a Those Were the Days fest. And that’s what made the 2025 VMAs so frustrating. Those contemporary artists were there on Sunday night (Sept. 7), and basically in full effect — superstars who’d already made their share of VMA history, and rising hitmakers who already seem poised to potentially do so in the future. And yet it could be easy to lose track of them with all the stage and screen time given to legacy artists, often without a particular urgency (and certainly no over-arching anniversary peg) to their performances, and stacked within the first two hours of the broadcast. It felt like a missed opportunity to really showcase the present and future, and finally let the past take a bit of a backseat. Because the opportunity was there. What felt like a higher concentration of A-list names than in many recent years showed up to the awards; anytime you’ve got Doja Cat doing robot dance breaks with keytarists on stage while Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande boogie together in the audience to start the show, you’re getting off on the right foot. Taylor Swift was missing this year, and her world-swallowing presence was certainly conspicuous in its absence, but that also meant that stars like Doja, Gaga and Grande could step up to carry a little more of the veteran load for the evening — at least until Gaga had to book it for her own concert that night at Madison Square Garden, though she still waved to the VMAs from Manhattan via her jaw-dropping remote performance of “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance.” (The obvious emotion Gaga and Grande displayed in their respective speeches should also be considered a win for MTV, as them putting such clear stock in the actual awards is not something to be taken for granted in 2025.) More importantly, though, this was a great chance for MTV to really put some of the rising leading lights of top 40 front and center. Tate McRae — who with her expert-level dance moves, keen sense of staging and design and obvious reverence for TRL-era megapop, was absolutely born to play the VMAs — was an obvious contender to be a breakout performer, and she lived up to every expectation with her scintillating two-song set. Sabrina Carpenter, who’d already dominated the VMAs stage the year before, made it two-for-two with this year’s “Tears” debut, ending her performance with a too-rare statement of her backup dancers holding up signs with pro-trans rights sentiments. And just below their minted-star level, newer hitmakers Sombr and Conan Gray came correct with their own cleverly presented, excitingly delivered performances that should make for important markers on their career timelines, and continue pushing their momentum in the right direction. Hopefully fans who watched MTV (or CBS, also airing the VMAs broadcast for the first time) caught all those. But they might’ve very well missed a couple in between the three lengthy, multi-song medleys — complete both with introduction and acceptance speech — delivered in the show’s first two hours. None of them were bad, or totally unwelcome. Certainly, Mariah Carey winning the Video Vanguard award made for a nice moment — particularly given her career 0-fer at the VMAs before that, which she understandably made a faux-salty joke about during her acceptance speech. But while Ricky Martin has an inarguably massive legacy and always gives a high-energy performance, did we need to have him delivering a five-song Latin Icon medley barely 20 minutes into the show? Or Busta Rhymes, accepting the Rock the Bells Visionary award with a half-dozen-song flashback of his own — all bangers, of course, but overlapping considerably with a similar performance he gave at the VMAs just four years earlier? On their own, any of these would’ve been fine. With three in the space of the show’s first 90 minutes, it became overbearing — and we still had a multi-song Ozzy Osbourne tribute to get to, though at least that felt obviously timely following Osbourne’s passing, and was led by Yungblud, the 28-year-old U.K. rocker whose electrifying version of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” had recently brought him to a new level of stateside exposure. Meanwhile, as the VMAs were honoring Martin’s and Busta’s legacies in Latin pop and hip-hop, respectively, they were paying those genres fairly

Kendrick Lamar won his second Primetime Emmy on Night 2 of the Creative Arts Emmys, which were presented on Sunday (Sept. 7) at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. He won outstanding music direction for The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar, alongside co-nominee Tony Russell. The rapper won his first Primetime Emmy three years ago for outstanding variety special (live) for The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent. Adam Blackstone won as music director of that show. The 2025 Grammys won two awards – outstanding choreography for variety or reality programming for choreographer Robbie Blue, specifically for Doechii’s musical performance on the show, and outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a special. Barack Obama won his third Primetime Emmy for outstanding narrator for Our Oceans, a Netflix documentary series. He previously won in the category for Working: What We Do All Day and Our Great National Parks, also for Netflix. Obama has now won more Primetime Emmys than he has Grammys (two). The Saturday Night Live episode hosted by Lady Gaga won two Emmys – outstanding production design for a variety or reality series and outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a series. Music by John Williams won outstanding sound editing for a nonfiction or reality program. Beatles ’64 won outstanding sound mixing for a nonfiction program. The latter award went to Josh Berger, re-recording mixer, and Giles Martin, re-recording music mixer. Martin is the son of legendary Beatles producer George Martin. Duncan Thum and David Bertok won their first Primetime Emmys — outstanding music composition for a documentary series or special (original dramatic score) for their work on Netflix’s Chef’s Table. Conan O’Brien won his sixth Primetime Emmy for outstanding hosted nonfiction series or special for Conan O’Brien Must Go. In addition, Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor won outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), but O’Brien didn’t personally win in that category. The late Paul Reubens, aka Pee Wee Herman, won his first Primetime Emmy as an executive producer of Pee Wee as Himself, which won outstanding documentary or nonfiction special. SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night won outstanding documentary series. The Studio was the top winner across the two nights of the Creative Arts Emmys, with nine wins. It was followed by The Penguin (eight); SNL50: The Anniversary Special (seven); Severance (six); Andor, Arcane, Love, Death + Robots and The Traitors (four each); The Boys, Bridgerton, Pee-Wee As Himself and Saturday Night Live (three each); and The 67th Annual Grammy Awards, 100 Foot Wave, Adolescence, The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains, Love On The Spectrum, The Pitt and Welcome to Wrexham (two each). Here’s the complete list of nominees in the two music categories that were presented on Sunday, with winners marked: Outstanding Music Direction WINNER: The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar • FOX • Roc Nation, DPS, Jesse Collins Entertainment and pgLang; Kendrick Lamar, Tony Russell, Music Directors The Kennedy Center Honors • CBS • Done + Dusted in association with Rok Productions; Rickey Minor, Music Director The Oscars • ABC • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Michael Bearden, Music Director SNL50: The Anniversary Special • NBC • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; Lenny Pickett, Leon Pendarvis, Eli Brueggemann, Music Directors SNL50: The Homecoming Concert • Peacock • SNL Studios in association with Universal Television and Broadway Video; James Poyser, Music Director, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Music Director Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score) The Americas • “Andes” • NBC • BBC Studios Natural History Unit in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio; Hans Zimmer, Anže Rozman, Kara Talve, Composers WINNER: Chef’s Table • “José Andrés” • Netflix • Boardwalk Pictures and David Gelb Planetarium for Netflix; Duncan Thum, David Bertok, Composers Leonardo Da Vinci • PBS • Florentine Films & WETA; Caroline Shaw, Composer Planet Earth: Asia • “Beneath the Waves” • BBC America • A BBC Studios Natural History Unit production co-produced with BBC America and ZDF for BBC; Jacob Shea, Laurentia Editha, Composers Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story • HBO | Max • DC Studios presents in association with HBO Documentary Films and CNN Films in association with Words+Pictures, a Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment production in association with Jenco Films; Ilan Eshkeri, Composer Source link