Innholdsfortegnelse for December 11, 2021 i Billboard Magazine

WE ARE JON BATISTE FEATURED ARTISTS Craig Adams, David Gauthier, Braedon Gautier, Brennon Gautier, Gospel Soul Children Choir, Hot 8 Brass Band, PJ Morton, Autumn Rowe, Zadie Smith, St. Augustine High School Marching 100, Trombone Shorty PRODUCERS Jon Batiste, Mikey Freedom Hart, King Garbage, Kizzo, Sunny Levine, Nate Mercereau, David Pimentel, Ricky Reed, Autumn Rowe, Jahaan Sweet, Nick Waterhouse ENGINEERS/MIXERS Jon Batiste, Russ Elevado, Mischa Kachkachishvili, Kizzo, Joseph Lorge, Manny Marroquin, David Pimentel, Ricky Reed, Jaclyn Sanchez, Matt Vertere, Marc Whitmore, Alex Williams SONGWRITERS Andrae Alexander, Troy Andrews, Jon Batiste, Zach Cooper, Vic Dimotsis, Eric Frederic, Kizzo, Sunny Levine, Steve McEwan, PJ Morton, Autumn Rowe, Mavis Staples MASTERING ENGINEER Michelle Mancini Going into this year’s Grammy nominations, few would have predicted that Batiste — the Louisiana singer-songwriter best known…

JUSTICE (TRIPLE CHUCKS DELUXE) Justin Bieber After earning a 2021 nod for Changes, Bieber becomes a back-to-back nominee in this category. On Justice, he reclaims his throne as a pop heartthrob with a mix of plaintive piano ballads (“Lonely” with Benny Blanco), ethereal synth-pop (“Anyone”) and even gospel (“Holy” featuring Chance the Rapper). But, the soulful posse track “Peaches,” featuring Giveon and Daniel Caesar, became the album’s biggest hit and scored Bieber his first nod for best R&B performance. PLANET HER (DELUXE) Doja Cat Doja Cat once described the fictional universe of Planet Her as a place “where all races of space exist [and] where all species can be in harmony.” Apparently, it’s also a place where her wide range of talents can exist. On her third studio album,…

“ALL MY FAVORITE SONGS” Weezer SONGWRITERS Rivers Cuomo, Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson, Ilsey Juber Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is all about the contradictions on “All My Favorite Songs,” as he sings in angsty glory, “All my favorite songs are slow and sad/All my favorite people make me mad.” Co-written by Ilsey Juber (Shawn Mendes), Ben Johnson (Lee Brice) and Ashley Gorley (Carrie Underwood), this string-laden pop song is the perfect liftoff for the baroque, orchestral OK Human album. Weezer also scored commerically with the song, which became its sixth No. 1 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. “THE BANDIT” Kings of Leon SONGWRITERS Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill, Nathan Followill On Jan. 1, Kings of Leon started the new year with the release of “The Bandit,” the…

TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES Snoh Aalegra Influenced by Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Prince (who was a mentor), Swedish artist Aalegra began attracting attention stateside after signing with Grammy-winning producer No I.D.’s ARTium Records in 2013. Born Shahrzad Fooladi, the singer-songwriter introduced her Snoh Aalegra stage persona a year later on her debut single, “Bad Things” featuring Common, and the EP There Will Be Sunshine. The Los Angeles-based artist continued to burnish her self-described brand of “cinematic soul” — which melds R&B, hip-hop and orchestral music — with the albums Feels (2017), Ugh, Those Feels Again (2019) and her latest, Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies, which peaked at No. 3 on Top R&B Albums in July. The 2021 ARTium/Roc Nation release also garnered Aalegra a second…

“BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT” Maren Morris SONGWRITERS Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz Morris lands her second consecutive — and fourth overall — best song nomination for “Better Than We Found It,” on which she muses on issues such as Black Lives Matter and immigration. Morris is one of the few country artists to address the current political climate in song. “It’s the most American thing to protest,” said Morris at the time the song was released. “Protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone.” “CAMERA ROLL” Kacey Musgraves SONGWRITERS Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian The country screening committee moved Musgraves’ album star-crossed from consideration in country to pop categories, but kept “Camera Roll” in the country race, earning…

The 2022 BILLBOARD POWER LIST will celebrate the executives who are creating excitement and making a difference in the global music industry. Featured will be those who have had the greatest impact in recorded music, live entertainment, touring, publishing and other industry verticals who have had great success in the past year. Take this opportunity to congratulate the 2022 Billboard Power List honorees. Your ad will reach an influential and affluent audience of decision-makers in the global music industry. CONTACT East Coast: Joe Maimone | joe.maimone@billboard.com Southeast: Lee Ann Photoglo | laphotoglo@gmail.com Latin: Marcia Olival | marciaolival29@gmail.com Touring & West Coast: Cynthia Mellow | cmellow.billboard@gmail.com International: Ryan O’Donnell | rodonnell@pmc.com ISSUE DATE 1/29 | AD CLOSE 1/18 | MATERIALS DUE 1/19…

AS ANOTHER pandemic awards season nears, concerns are mounting when it comes to attending in-person events — from how to score invites to greeting one another. While party planners are struggling to book venues in Los Angeles — in part because events that were postponed ahead of the Grammy ceremony earlier this year are now competing for space around the upcoming show — partygoers are still wondering where and when the fun will be and whether they’ll be safe to attend. Nick Maiale, founder/CEO of jump.global, an executive management firm for label, streaming and tech clients, is a fan of the wristband method, in which event attendees can choose to wear a colored band alerting others, “I’m not comfortable getting hugged.” Maiale, who lives in Nashville, says whether an…

“BAD HABITS” ED SHEERAN SONGWRITERS Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid, Ed Sheeran LABEL Atlantic Over the course of his career, Sheeran has appeared in the song of the year category as a folk-leaning troubadour (with “The A Team” in 2013), a master balladeer (with “Thinking Out Loud,” which won in 2016) and as a pop star collaborator (with Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself” in 2017). With “Bad Habits,” he enters the race as a stadium-conquering superstar with a strong interest in dance music. The British singer-songwriter co-wrote the lead single to his fourth solo studio album, =, with Johnny McDaid, who contributed to Sheeran’s 2017 smash “Shape of You,” and Fred Gibson, who worked closely with Sheeran on 2019’s No.6 Collaborations Project. The song of the year nod for “Bad Habits,”…

“I STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU” ABBA PRODUCERS Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus ENGINEERS/MIXERS Benny Andersson, Bernard Löhr MASTERING ENGINEER Björn Engelmann With their record of the year nod for “I Still Have Faith in You,” Swedish pop icons ABBA have earned the first Grammy nomination of their legendary career. The single, co-produced by the quartet’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, preceded Voyage, ABBA’s first album of new material in four decades, following the group’s informal split in 1983 after scoring hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Fernando” and “Waterloo” throughout the 1970s. Andersson, Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad refused to reunite for decades, even as the 1999 Broadway musical Mamma Mia! became an international hit and spawned a film of the same name. In September, however, a reunited ABBA…

“HERO” Afrojack & David Guetta Afrojack, David Guetta, Kuk Harrell and Stargate, producers; Elio Debets, mixer Real-life pals Guetta and Afrojack already shared a Grammy in 2010 for their work on a remix of Madonna’s “Revolver.” For “Hero,” the duo linked up with a star-studded list of co-writers including Ellie Goulding, Stargate, Ryan Tedder and Jamie Scott to create an inspiring anthem that tells listeners, “There’s a hero in you.” Guetta and Afrojack previously co-produced hits such as the 2014 Nicki Minaj collaboration “Hey Mama” and 2011’s “Titanium,” featuring Sia. “LOOM” Ólafur Arnalds Featuring Bonobo Ólafur Arnalds and Simon Green, producers; Ólafur Arnalds, mixer Icelandic producer Arnalds and U.K. artist Bonobo (real name: Simon Green) have long made the type of thoughtful intelligent dance music, aka IDM, that has…

SHORE Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes frontman-producer-song-writer Robin Pecknold has said that Shore is his band’s least personal album to date and the album was inspired more by world events, including the pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests. In a statement, Pecknold said that he wanted Shore “to exist in a liminal space outside of time … accessing something spiritual or personal that is untouchable by whatever the state of the world may be at a given moment.” Fleet Foxes earned their second Grammy nomination for the album, which peaked at No. 3 on the Top Rock Albums chart and No. 28 on the Billboard 200. IF I CAN’T HAVE LOVE, I WANT POWER Halsey When Halsey told the world on social media that her fourth studio set would be…

SKELETONS Brothers Osborne While Skeletons showcases Brothers Osborne’s keen sense of lyrical craftsmanship, it also marks a deeper foray into a heavy-rock sound. Recorded in producer Jay Joyce’s Nashville studio at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the album is filled with songs that seem aimed at concert crowds, such as “High Note,” “All Night” and the celebration of independent thinkers, “I’m Not for Everyone.” Meanwhile, the non-album track “Younger Me,” released after T.J. Osborne came out as gay, earned a nomination for best country duo/group performance. It’s the duo’s second nomination in this category. REMEMBER HER NAME Mickey Guyton Triple nominee Guyton created her most authentic, vulnerable music so far on her long-awaited first album. While “Black Like Me” details childhood experiences with racism, her breakthrough track, “What…

RECORD OF THE YEAR “I STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU” ABBA Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, producers; Benny Andersson and Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer “FREEDOM” Jon Batiste Jon Batiste, Kizzo and Autumn Rowe, producers; Russ Elevado, Kizzo and Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer “I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga Dae Bennett, producer; Dae Bennett and Josh Coleman, engineers/mixers; Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone, mastering engineers “PEACHES” Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon Louis Bell, Josh Gudwin, HARV, Shndo and Andrew Watt, producers; Josh Gudwin and Andrew Watt, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer “RIGHT ON TIME” Brandi Carlile Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell and Tom Elmhirst, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer “KISS ME MORE” Doja…

About 180 years after George Washington sent King George III packing, American teens welcomed a less formally dressed British Invasion with open arms — and wallets. Since then, the fortunes of English musicians on American airwaves have waxed and waned — an Oasis here, an Amy Winehouse there — but Adele’s blockbuster return has the Yanks Union Jack-ed up once again. ENGLAND’S NEWEST HITMAKERS In the April 4, 1964,issue of Billboard, the article “Redcoats Revisiting” covered a “flood of Anglo product” as The Searchers, The Dave Clark Five and others occupied 19 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. Some Americans were less than chuffed: “Everyone’s tired of The Beatles,” moaned another piece in that same issue, “except the listening and buying public.” Billboard was more excited about another group’s…

AT THE INTIMATE, largely outdoor ceremony for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in March, Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist — and paused her emotional acceptance speech to let the sounds of Los Angeles traffic pass by. Harry Styles performed “Watermelon Sugar” before a room filled mainly with crew while Billie Eilish, grinning ear to ear, bopped along in the wings. Artists walked the red carpet in their most glamorous get-ups, but at the ceremony, stars like Taylor Swift and Doja Cat added matching masks to their formalwear. When the Grammys return Jan. 31 to Los Angeles’ former Staples Center — newly named the Crypto.com Arena — with Trevor Noah hosting and a full audience, the show onscreen will certainly look different. But it will be different behind…

MADISON CUNNINGHAM BEST FOLK ALBUM GUSTAVO DUDAMEL BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE ALEXANDER LIPAY & DMITRIY LIPAY BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL ÓLAFUR ARNALDS FEATURING BONOBO BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING ÓLAFUR ARNALDS & JOSIN BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE AROOJ AFTAB BEST NEW ARTIST BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE HARRY CONNICK, JR. BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BRANDEE YOUNGER BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION JON BATISTE RECORD OF THE YEAR ALBUM OF THE YEAR BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE BEST R&B ALBUM BEST MUSIC VIDEO BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION ANGELIQUE KIDJO & BURNA BOY BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM JOSEPH LORGE & BLAKE MILLS BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL…

AROOJ AFTAB Brooklyn-based Pakistani composer Aftab has been earning acclaim for her soulful, jazz-influenced songs since 2015, when she independently released her debut album, Bird Under Water. Since then, she has signed with New Amsterdam Records, which released her third and most accomplished album to date, Vulture Prince, in April. Dedicated to the memory of her younger brother, Maher, Aftab’s latest project uses minimalism in its messaging of grief and acceptance, particularly on haunting, seven-minute centerpiece “Mohabbat.” In addition to the best new artist nod, “Mohabbat” — originally written by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri and turned into a gorgeous, finger-plucked meditation by Aftab — is nominated for best global music performance. Aftab spent much of the past year touring the globe and has scheduled a handful of 2022 shows. JIMMIE ALLEN…

SUBCONSCIOUSLY Black Coffee A longtime star of the global house scene, South Africa’s Black Coffee this year earns his first Grammy nomination for his ninth studio album, Subconsciously. The album includes collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Usher, Diplo, David Guetta and Sabrina Claudio, and it is built on sumptuous house music inspired by the sounds of Black Coffee’s home country. His nomination marks the first time a South African performer has been up for this award. FALLEN EMBERS Illenium Colorado-based producer Illenium (real name: Nicholas Miller) helped pioneer dance music’s future bass subgenre, a fusion of dubstep and pop. On his punk- and rock-tinged fourth album, Fallen Embers, the artist pushed his sound even further, collaborating with Lights, Excision, SLANDER and Krewella as well as Tori Kelly, Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge,…

“DAMAGE” H.E.R. SONGWRITERS Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, H.E.R., Carl McCormick, Tiara Thomas Anchored by a nostalgic beat and relatable lyrics, “Damage” takes listeners on a sonic journey back to the 1990s. Throughout the rhythmic love song, H.E.R. (born Gabriella Wilson) urges a suitor to treat her right if they become romantically involved. Released in October 2020, “Damage” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart and remained on the list for 45 weeks. The track appears on H.E.R.’s debut album, Back of My Mind (2021), which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and became her highest-charting album to date. “GOOD DAYS” SZA SONGWRITERS Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Muñoz, Solána Rowe, Christopher Ruelas Released in January, SZA’s fan-favorite “Good Days” is a powerful breakup…

THE OFF-SEASON J. Cole Cole named his sixth studio album, The Off-Season, after the time when athletes hone their skills between seasons. For the artist-producer, that meant reigniting his passion for rapping by collaborating with other artists, including Cam’ron, Lil Baby, Bas and 6LACK. His storytelling chops still shine through, as he references his feud with Puff Daddy (“let. go. my. hand”) and tries to subdue his ego (“pride. is. the. devil.”) CERTIFIED LOVER BOY Drake Drake notched another record-breaker with Certified Lover Boy, which included the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Way 2 Sexy” — a reimagined version of Right Said Fred’s 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy” — and spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Drake the eighth artist to have 10…

AFRODISÍACO Rauw Alejandro Alejandro’s debut album pushed the boundaries of traditional perreo reggaetón while also paying homage to his avant-garde roots. Afrodisíaco includes a diverse mix of collaborations, like the poppy “Tattoo,” with Camilo; the reggaetón-tinged “De Cora <3,” with J Balvin, “Reloj,” with Anuel AA; and the house-inflected “Química,” featuring DJs The Martínez Brothers. But it’s his tender, romantic solo tracks, such as the endearing opener “Dile a El” and the sensual “Strawberry Kiwi,” where he shines brightest. EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO Bad Bunny Bad Bunny’s second album of 2020 made history when it became the first all-Spanish-language title to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. (The previous highest-charting all-Spanish-language album was his own YHLQMDLG, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in March 2020.) Though…