The 56th annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards took place in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 9) night. Hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the CMAs brought out a bevy of vocal pros, guitar aces and several music legends over the course of three hours.
The show opened with a tribute to country pioneer Loretta Lynn, who died on Oct. 4 at the age of 90, by Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood. Before the night was through, Alan Jackson was honored with the Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award and given a rollicking musical tribute from Dierks Bentley, Lainey Wilson and others. Jackson himself closed out his own musical tribute, playing his 1991 single “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” a No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. “I can’t thank everybody that’s been in my life all these years, but I do have to say thanks to my wife Denise,” Jackson said. “We started out as teenagers and she’s hung in there and rode this roller coaster ride with me…. She’s my best friend.”
The night’s big winner was Luke Combs, who won the prestigious CMA for entertainer of the year. A tearful Lainey Wilson was named female vocalist of the year, and Chris Stapleton was honored with the CMA for male vocalist of the year. Check out the full list of winners here. Below, check out some of the standout moments from the 2022 CMAs, from Katy Perry’s performance with Thomas Rhett to HARDY and Wilson’s smoldering duet.
Lola Leon released her debut EP titled Go on Wednesday (Nov. 9). Her musical debut consists of five tracks released via Chemical X Records.
Leon, who goes by the musical name Lolahol, made headlines first thing Wednesday with the release of a dark, NSFW music video for single “CUNTRADICTION” (watch below). The music video, which features Leon dancing in the stables of a ranch, is fitting for the edgy song.
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According to a press release announcing the EP, the project “spans R&B, alternative pop and classic trip-hop.”
While Go is Leon’s first EP, the singer, fashion model and designer released her first song “Lock & Key” on Aug. 24. The song’s drop coincided with the release of a sensual music video filmed on the beach. The leap into the music industry was a natural one for the 25-year-old daughter of pop icon Madonna.
Leon’s mom was more than enthusiastic about the development. She took to her Instagram story to post a screenshot of the cover art for “Lock & Key,” = captioning it, “I am so proud of you Lola!”
The 56th annual CMA Awards took over Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 9), and the country music celebration kicked off with a special tribute to the late Loretta Lynn, who died Oct. 4 at age 90.
The commemoration began with video footage of Lynn at the Ryman Auditorium in 1972, where she accepted her CMA entertainer of the year award, becoming the first woman to take home the Country Music Association’s highest honor.
Carrie Underwood then stepped onstage to honor the Country Music Hall of Fame member with a performance of her 1966 hit “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” before Miranda Lambert sang “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’.” Reba McEntire then took over by performing Lynn’s 1971 track “You’re Lookin’ at Country,” sweetly switching up the lyrics at one point to sing, “If you’re looking at Loretta, you’re looking at country.”
The superstar trio then came together to wrap up the tribute with a powerful performance of one of Lynn’s most beloved hits, 1971’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” as photos of Lynn with a variety of artists, including Dolly Parton, Lambert, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson flashed across the screen.
The 2022 CMA Awards will feature a number of other major collaborations, including Elle King joining the Black Keys to perform “Great Balls of Fire” in honor of the late Country Music Hall of Fame member Jerry Lee Lewis. Thomas Rhett will pair with Katy Perry for their collaboration “Where We Started,” while Chris Stapleton will share the stage with Patty Loveless for a rendition of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”
Jay-Z made a mark on the hip-hop scene with his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt and has gone on to create a musical legacy worth remembering in the decades since. This week, the 52-year-old MC reminded fans of his longevity in the game with an Instagram pic posted by his longtime engineer Young Guru.
The Roc Nation founder can be seen posing at the edge of a couch with his extensive Grammy collection, surrounded by bowls of snacks. Jay appears to be drinking from one of the trophies — an ode to the famous pic of him drinking his D’USSÉ cognac out of a Grammy at the 2013 ceremony.
“It’s crazy how one 5 minute convo with HOV can refocus your entire life,” Young Guru captioned the post. “I appreciate you, Big Homie. My anchor is strong. For motivational purpose only. But this is my real life!”
While Jay-Z has earned 24 Grammys over the years, we count 21 visible in the pic — though it’s likely the last trio of trophies could be right behind him in the photo.
The post has garnered more than 31,000 likes so far.
The Jiggaman is tiedwith his frequent collaborator Kanye West for the most Grammys for any hip-hop artist. Jay began racking up Grammys in 1999 when his third project, Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, won best rap album.
In 2004, he took home best R&B song and best rap/sung collaboration for his “Crazy In Love” duet with wife Beyoncé, and in 2013, he and West won three awards for their Watch the Throne tracks “N—as in Paris” (best rap song, best rap performance) and “No Church in the Wild” (best rap/sung collaboration).
Despite his staggering Grammy success — including 83 nominations overall, more than anyone else in history — Jay-Z hasn’t always had a great relationship with the Recording Academy. In 1999, he boycotted the ceremony after two projects by DMX — It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood — were both snubbed in the best rap album category. Jay talked about boycotting the Grammys on LeBron James’ The Shop last year. “I won that year for rap album, so my first Grammy win, I wasn’t there. I boycotted it for him,” he said of the rapper, who died in 2021 at age 50. “There was a competitive thing, but it was big love.”
Jay-Z has made a few jabs at the Grammys over the years, like when he rapped on his track “APESH–” with Beyoncé in 2018, “Tell the Grammys f– that 0-for-8 sh–,” in reference to not winning any awards at the ceremony earlier that year when he went in as the leading nominee with eight nods.
While Jay-Z is the all-time nominations leader, he may lose that status next week, when the 65th annual Grammy nominations are announced. But he probably won’t mind too much: He could lose it to his wife, Beyoncé, who currently has 79 career nominations and is expected to be nominated in numerous categories. (Jay stands to also pick up at least two nominations for his involvement on Beyoncé’s Renaissance album.)
Grammy nominations for the 2023 ceremony are set to be announced on Tuesday. The awards show will be held at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 5.
The 56th annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards take over Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday (Nov. 9). Hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 2022 CMA Awards saw Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood compete for the entertainer of the year honor — with Combs emerging victorious.
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Check out the full list of nominees and winners below.
Entertainer of the year
Luke Combs – WINNER Miranda Lambert Chris Stapleton Carrie Underwood Morgan Wallen
Single of the year
Award goes to artist(s), producer(s) and mix engineer “Buy Dirt” – Jordan Davis featuring Luke Bryan; producer: Paul DiGiovanni; mix engineer: Jim Cooley “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (feat. Kenny Chesney); producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins; mix engineer: Dan Grech-Marguerat “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde; producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne; mix engineer: Ryan Gore “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson; producer: Trent Willmon; mix engineer: Jack Clarke – WINNER “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton; producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; mix engineer: Vance Powell
Album of the year
Award goes to artist(s), producer(s) and mix engineer(s) Growin’ Up – Luke Combs; producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; mix engineers: Jim Cooley, Chip Matthews – WINNER Humble Quest – Maren Morris; producer: Greg Kurstin; mix engineer: Serban Ghenea Palomino – Miranda Lambert; producers: Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, Mikey Reaves; mix engineer: Jason Lehning Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jay Joyce; mix engineer: F. Reid Shippen Time, Tequila & Therapy – Old Dominion; producers: Shane McAnally, Old Dominion; mix engineer: Justin Niebank
Song of the year
Award goes to songwriters “Buy Dirt” — songwriters: Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins – WINNER “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” –songwriters: Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce “Sand in My Boots” — songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Josh Osborne “Things a Man Oughta Know” — songwriters: Jason Nix, Jonathan Singleton, Lainey Wilson “You Should Probably Leave” — songwriters: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Chris Stapleton
Female vocalist of the year
Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Carly Pearce Carrie Underwood Lainey Wilson – WINNER
Male vocalist of the year
Eric Church Luke Combs Cody Johnson Chris Stapleton – WINNER Morgan Wallen
Vocal group of the year
Lady A Little Big Town Midland Old Dominion – WINNER Zac Brown Band
Vocal duo of the year
Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne – WINNER Dan + Shay LOCASH Maddie & Tae
New artist of the year
HARDY Walker Hayes Cody Johnson Parker McCollum Lainey Wilson – WINNER
Musical event of the year
Award goes to artist(s) and producer(s) “Beers on Me” – Dierks Bentley with BRELAND & HARDY; producers: Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman “If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood; producer: Michael Knox “Longneck Way to Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi); producers: Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson); producer: Zach Crowell “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde; producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne – WINNER
Music video of the year
Award goes to artist(s) and directors “I Bet You Think About Me” (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault) – Taylor Swift (featuring Chris Stapleton); director: Blake Lively “Longneck Way to Go” – Midland (featuring Jon Pardi); director: Harper Smith “Never Say Never” – Cole Swindell (with Lainey Wilson); director: Michael Monaco “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” – Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde; director: Alexa Campbell “’Til You Can’t” – Cody Johnson; director: Dustin Haney – WINNER
Godsmack scores its 12th No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart – and its fifth in a row – as “Surrender” lifts to the top of the Nov. 12-dated survey.
The Sully Erna-fronted band’s streak of five No. 1s dates to “Bulletproof” in 2018. The group followed with “When Legends Rise” (2018), “Under Your Scars” (2019) and “Unforgettable” (2020) prior to its latest leader.
Godsmack breaks out of a three-way tie for the sixth-most No. 1s in the tally’s 41-year history. Shinedown leads all acts with 18.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay 18, Shinedown 17, Three Days Grace 13, Five Finger Death Punch 13, Van Halen 12, Godsmack 11, Disturbed 11, Foo Fighters 10, Metallica 10, Tom Petty (solo and with the Heartbreakers) 10, Volbeat
Godsmack first appeared on Mainstream Rock Airplay with “Whatever,” which reached No. 7 in 1999. The band achieved its first No. 1 with “Awake” in 2001.
Concurrently, “Surrender” leaps 11-5 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 3.3 million audience impressions, according to Luminate. “Surrender” ties the band’s highest rank on the list, which began in 2009, alongside “Love-Hate-Sex-Pain” in 2010 and “Unforgettable” in 2020.
“Surrender” also pushes 13-11 on the multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 484,000 official U.S. streams in the tracking week ending Nov. 3.
Lighting Up the Sky, Godsmack’s eighth studio album, is expected in February 2023. It’s the follow-up to 2018’s When Legends Rise, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart that May and has earned 650,000 equivalent album units to date.
When Taylor Swift asked her devoted fans to meet her at midnight, Swifties showed up in droves to support her. But how did Swift arrive at her 10th studio album Midnights? And, more importantly, how did her previous nine LPs prime her to have the biggest album of her career?
It all started with Swift’s self-titled album, which she released in 2006 at age 16. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and keeping up that momentum, the then-rising star returned in 2008 with her sophomore album Fearless, which spent 11 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The accolades didn’t stop there: The project earned five Grammy Awards, including the coveted album of the year award, making her the youngest artist at the time to receive the honor.
The year 2010 saw the release of Swift’s Speak Now. In addition to once again hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the record additionally sold 1 million units in its debut week. Red, her 2012 follow-up, saw Swift headed in a new direction musically, combining the best of her country roots with pure pop. The record resulted in her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “We Are Never Getting Back Together.” Though Red was commercially successful, it failed to pick up any Grammys, leading her to focus on creating a more cohesive body of work with 1989, and her concentrated efforts paid off — it was her second album of the year winner and included three Hot 100 No. 1s: “Shake It Off,” “Blank Space” and “Bad Blood.”
The latter half of Swift’s discography spans Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore — in addition to her re-recorded Taylor’s versions of Red and Fearless. Learn more about these projects in the latest installment of Billboard Explains in the video above.
Welcome to The Contenders, a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard 200 albums chart dated Nov. 12): Taylor Swift’s Midnightsblockbuster faces competition from superstar labelmate Drake’s team-up with 21 Savage, while fellow pop icon Rihanna leads the new Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sequel soundtrack.
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Drake and 21 Savage, Her Loss (OVO/Republic/Slaughter Gang/Epic): Following the rare commercial downturn of June’s surprise-released club detour Honestly, Nevermind — which still debuted atop the Billboard 200, albeit with relatively low numbers by Drake’s pace-setting standards — the historically successful rapper looks to rebound with last Friday’s (Nov. 4) Her Loss. It’s a 16-track team-up with frequent collaborator 21 Savage (who also appeared on Nevermind’s lone breakout hit, the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Jimmy Cooks”) and many of the album’s bad-guy bars set social media on fire over the weekend (for both positive and not-so-positive reasons).
Collaborative albums in hip-hop often add up to less than the sum of their parts — take March’s Better Than You, a team-up of DaBaby and YoungBoy Never Broke Again that charted lower on the Billboard 200 (No. 10) than either rapper’s then-most-recent solo LP. Both Drake and 21 Savage have scored in this lane before, though — Drake topped the Billboard 200 in 2015 with the Future team-up What a Time to Be Alive and 21 Savage did the same in 2020 with the album he made with marquee producer Metro Boomin, Savage Mode II.
Various Artists, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By (Roc Nation/Def Jam/Hollywood Records): The soundtrack to the original Black Panther movie was a blockbuster success nearly on the level of the superhero film it accompanied, topping the Billboard 200, spawning a pair of Hot 100 top 10 hits and even scoring a rare nomination for album of the year at the 2019 Grammys. That soundtrack had the benefit of curation from a then-red hot Kendrick Lamar, who also appeared on several tracks (including both top 10 hits, “All the Stars” with SZA and “Pray for Me” with The Weeknd) and stitched its disparate tracks into a cohesive full listen.
Lamar isn’t involved with the 19-track Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, which is built around Afrobeats hitmakers like Tems, CKay, Rema and Burna Boy. But the set is led by another veteran global superstar on Lamar’s level: Rihanna, who makes her long-awaited return to popular music with “Lift Me Up,” the set’s first single and the Bad Gal’s first new solo song in six years. The ballad, written in tribute to late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week and should give Wakanda Forever an excellent head start in next week’s Billboard 200 race.
Joji, SMITHEREENS (88rising/Warner): Few artists probably cursed the news of Drake and 21 Savage bumping Her Loss back a week from its initial Oct. 29 release date than Joji, who would have been a frontrunner for the highest debut in another week with his new SMITHEREENS. That’s thanks to a sizable cult fanbase and strong streaming numbers — grown over a half-decade since the artist formerly known as Filthy Frank pivoted from Internet comedy to intimate R&B — and the recent success of lead single “Glimpse of Us,” which became his first major crossover hit on the Billboard Hot 100 over the summer, hitting the chart’s top 10.
IN THE MIX
Russell Dickerson, Russell Dickerson (Triple Tigers): Dickerson has been a regular visitor to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, besting the tally with four consecutive singles in the late ‘10s and early ‘20s. Neither of the advance cuts from his self-titled third album reached the chart’s top level, but Jake Scott collab “She Likes It” has been one of the most enduring country songs on the Hot 100 this year, lasting 30 weeks before finally falling off this week.
Billy Joel, Live at Yankee Stadium / Barbra Streisand, Live at the Bon Soir (Columbia): A pair of new Columbia-released live albums threaten to put the charts in a New York State of Mind this week, as both Joel’s 1990 set at the Bronx baseball stadium and Streisand’s 1962 gig at the famed Greenwich Village club come out on streaming and CD. (The Billboard 200’s No. 1 spot is a familiar venue for both artists, who have topped the chart a combined 15 times.)
Quavo and Takeoff, Only Built for Infinity Links (Quality Control/Capitol/Motown/YRN): Cuban Links debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 dated Oct. 7 and had fallen to No. 84 as of the Nov. 5 chart. However, the set has received renewed interest following the tragic Nov. 1 death of co-creator Takeoff, resulting in a rebound to No. 12 on this week’s Billboard 200 — and possibly an even higher placement next week.
Taylor Swift is continuing to treat fans when it comes to Midnightslead single “Anti-Hero,” and the star unveiled a new version of the track, a remix by Roosevelt, on Wednesday (Nov. 9).
“The anti hero (Roosevelt remix) makes me feel hyped enough for an imaginary funeral brawl,” Swift wrote on Twitter, along with a clip from her “Anti-Hero” music video, in which her future children and daughter-in-law battle it out while laying the Grammy winning superstar to rest.
The song is currently only available as a digital single for purchase on Swift’s website. However, the previously released Bleachers collaborative version of the track was made available on streaming services the day after release.
“Anti-Hero” spends a second week this week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. A week earlier, it debuted at the summit, as Swift made history as the first artist to claim the survey’s entire top 10 in a single frame.
The single also posts a second week atop the Streaming Songs chart; jumps 9-4 on Digital Song Sales; and dips 13-14 on Radio Songs. (As previously reported, this week’s Billboard airplay charts are the first using Mediabase-monitored data; this week’s Radio Songs chart incorporates data from former monitoring service BDS for Oct. 28-30 and from Mediabase for Oct. 31-Nov. 3, with Mediabase data to power the survey going forward).
Is Nick Cannon about to be a dad to a dozen? That’s what some fans think based on a cryptic social media post by one of the mothers of his children.
On Tuesday, Abby De La Rosa shared a quippy Instagram post on her Story which reads, “1 night with a Libra can turn into 3-4 years…be careful.” Beneath the amusing quote, the DJ added her own thoughts, writing, “Damn! lol 1 night turned into 4 years and 3 kids real quick…I see no lies here smh. y’all be safe out there,” bookended by a pair of laughing emojis.
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Without naming any names, the post seems to point to Cannon, who, yes, just so happens to be a Libra. (De La Rosa herself is a Scorpio, born just two days past the Oct. 23 cutoff for Libras on the calendar.) However, the glaring discrepancy in the pregnant De La Rosa’s post? She shares twins Zion Mixolydian and Zillion Heir but has yet to publicly confirm whether Cannon is the father of her soon-to-be born third child.
If The Masked Singer host is, indeed, the father, De La Rosa’s bundle of joy would be his fifth child either born or announced in as many months. Legendary Love was born in July to Bre Tiesi; Onyx Ice and Rise Messiah were born in September to, respectively, Lanisha Cole and Brittany Bell; and Alyssa Scott announced she was pregnant with Cannon’s 11th baby in October following the tragic December 2021 death of their 5-month-old son Zen.
Check out De La Rosa’s mysterious Instagram Story before it expires here.
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