Month: November 2022

The wait is over: Rihanna is back with a new solo single. We hadn’t heard new music from the global superstar outside of a spare feature here and there since the ANTI era in 2016, but now there’s Rih’s new ballad “Lift Me Up,” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack, written partly in tribute to the late franchise star Chadwick Boseman.

This week, the song debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, held off from the top spot by Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (lead single from her juggernaut Midnights album). It’s also the best-starting radio single of Rihanna’s career, debuting at No. 6 on Billboard‘s Radio Songs chart.

How should Rihanna feel about this chart start? And what can fans expect from her from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Rihanna’s first new single in six years just misses becoming her 15th Hot 100 No. 1, debuting at No. 2 behind Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” in the latter’s second week. On a scale of 1-10, how excited do you think she should be with this showing?

Lyndsey Havens: 10. Debuting at No. 2 with a Taylor Swift song — from a record-breaking album — is basically like debuting at No. 1. Especially considering, though beautiful, “Lift Me Up” is a fairly minimal, downtempo ballad it’s even more impressive to know it debuted this high on the strength of Rihanna’s name and voice alone.

Cydney Lee: 9 or 10, only because I feel like any artist should be excited about an accomplishment or win, no matter how big or small or what caliber of artist they are. Clearly, garnering No. 1 hits is a norm for Rihanna, but considering how long it’s been since she dropped music, debuting at No. 2 after all these years shows she still has it. One thing about Rihanna that separates her from the rest is that she’s managed to stay relevant despite not dropping any music, thanks to her other business ventures and showing up her for fans in ways other artists don’t. Not to mention maintaining a very public relationship and becoming a mother. “Lift Me Up” debuting at No. 2 and not No. 1 could be a timing thing, but for this to be so high as a single and as a part of a movie soundtrack, is still very impressive and worth celebrating.

Jason Lipshutz: A 6. While a No. 2 debut is an impressive feat for any artist, particularly one who has been largely away from a solo music career for the past six years, Rihanna has collected enough No. 1 smashes by now to reasonably expect her long-awaited return single to debut in the top spot. Poor timing is the culprit here — even though Swift’s “Anti-Hero” is in its second week, it’s proven a streaming juggernaut in its first couple of frames — and ultimately, the No. 2 debut of “Lift Me Up” demonstrates how much excitement there is around Rihanna’s studio return, as she approaches the Super Bowl halftime show and (hopefully) more music releases.

Neena Rouhani: How excited she should be is a hard call to make. How excited do I think she actually is? Honestly, a 5. Rih-Rih is a mommy. And judging by how the superstar mogul pours herself into everything she does, I imagine she’s most focused on her baby boy right now. Not to mention the long hiatus we all painfully endured–it’s clear she has her head and hands tied up in the other endeavors that made her a billionaire. Between Fenty Beauty, Savage x Fenty, prepping for her Super Bowl headlining debut, and co-parenting alongside A$AP Rocky, I think she has bigger fish to fry than being excited about nearly reaching her 15th Hot 100 No. 1. (No offense, Billboard.) Now, if and when the album comes? That’ll be another story.

Andrew Unterberger: A 7.5. Rihanna is definitely on that always-getting-shorter shortlist of artists who could reasonably expect to debut at No. 1 nearly every time out, but this is the occasion that would get the asterisk here — a relatively low-key ballad, for a movie soundtrack, going against the biggest song from the year’s biggest album. No. 2 is still a very fine showing for “Lift Me Up,” and Rihanna has never seemed like the No. 1 at All Costs sort of pop star anyway.

2. “Lift Me Up” is a one-off single from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack and has not been announced as the beginning of any kind of new album era for Rihanna. Do you think it tells us anything about the sonic or artistic direction she may be moving in if and when she does make a full return?

Lyndsey Havens: Absolutely not. I do think she may be more in her lullaby bag due to being a new mom, but in terms of a new era for Rihanna the artist… I don’t see this as being it. And I think that’s the point… there’s a particular genius in returning with a soundtrack song for a universally beloved franchise. It’s an appetizer that satisfies the craving for new Rihanna music without saying much about what the entree will be — or when it will even be served. 

Cydney Lee: Maybe, but I’m leaning towards no. This song sounds like it was tailor-made for this movie, considering that it sort of doubles as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman. She may have a few songs similar to this on her eventual new album, but I’m not sure if this sonic choice will the “theme” of it per se. I’d be happy with the vocal runs, but I would also love to hear some spunk when we do hear from her again.

Jason Lipshutz: It’s worth remembering that, before the album drought that fans are currently experiencing, Rihanna made the Navy wait a little over three years between 2012’s Unapologetic and 2016’s Anti — and in that gap, she released a handful of one-off singles (“FourFiveSeconds,” “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “American Oxygen”) that, in retrospect, didn’t really tell us much about the sound and scope of Anti. So, while “Lift Me Up” reaffirms Rihanna as one of the most compelling vocalists in modern popular music, I’d guess that the soundtrack single itself doesn’t tip off too much about her upcoming artistic direction.

Neena Rouhani: No. I don’t think she’d give it away like that. I think this was a nice effort to get the ball rolling and put herself out there again as an artist, but I don’t think we should view this song as indicative of anything. Ask yourself, would Beyoncé or Adele use a soundtrack moment to introduce their new personal sound and direction to the world? I think not. And Rihanna wouldn’t, either.

Andrew Unterberger: I wouldn’t necessarily read a ton into it, but… I also wouldn’t be surprised if the self-proclaimed savage of the Anti era does sound a little mellower on the whole next time we hear a full statement from her. “Lift Me Up” sounds like it was recorded deep in the throes of domestic bliss, and from all public indicators, that does seem to be where Rihanna is spending most of her time these days. That’s not to say she’ll always be there, or that she won’t still get out every once in a while to pour it up good and proper, but Rih has always connected with fans through her authenticity, and this may just be the most authentic version of her at the moment.

3. “Lift” has had a dynamite start at radio, becoming just the fourth song since 1998 to hit the chart’s top 10 in its first week. Do you see this as a sign that the song will end up being a long-lasting hit, or do you anticipate enthusiasm for it on the airwaves will fade quickly? 

Lyndsey Havens: I could be wrong, but I don’t see this fitting into Rih’s Super Bowl set and I think at that point, her catalog of mega-hits will eclipse the growth of “Lift.” I can see it sticking around on radio perhaps — and certainly sustaining following the premiere of Black Panther this weekend — but don’t necessarily see it becoming a long-lasting streaming beast.

Cydney Lee: The radio stats are always interesting to me because I don’t listen to it too much anymore. But I feel like its success on this medium might depend on how long the movie stays in the forefront of peoples’ minds. Black Panther and its soundtrack being spearheaded by Kendrick Lamar was a moment for the Black community especially. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is and will also be a moment — but in a different way, because while the sequel itself is highly anticipated, there’s the added curiosity of how this film was made and how the story will be told without its main figure, Chadwick Boseman. The context is just overall sadder.

Even though it’s Rihanna’s first drop in forever, I do feel like “Lift Me Up” might fade on the radio in due time, but all depends on how long people will be talking about the movie. Either that OR it will stay around for a while because it is one of the few crumbs she has given fans over the years, and people will latch onto it.

Jason Lipshutz: Not many popular artists can be expected to make a ballad work at top 40 radio, but Rihanna has proven herself in that elite class, considering the success of smashes like “Stay,” “Take a Bow” and “Love on the Brain.” I could see “Lift Me Up” enjoying a prolonged run at the format, which is undoubtedly hungry to reincorporate one of its biggest superstars of the past 15 years and balance out some of the more uptempo songs currently in rotation. Maybe it won’t be a redefining hit at top 40, but don’t be surprised to hear “Lift Me Up” at pop radio long after Black Panther: Wakanda Forever leaves theaters.

Neena Rouhani: This isn’t at all indicative of my opinions on Rihanna’s artistic endurance, but more a commentary on the current musical climate – it’ll fade. Because, what doesn’t fade? There aren’t many songs in the last few years — post-2020 I’ll say — that have had staying power. The cycle is just too fast, the market too saturated. Now, do I think it’ll endure amongst her dedicated fanbase? Absolutely. It’s a great ballad and sits well within her catalog. It also really exemplifies how much she’s grown vocally during her absence. But I don’t know how long it’ll last on radio.

Andrew Unterberger: I think the variety of radio formats that appear to be trying it out bodes pretty well for it. I don’t know if it’ll be particularly enduring on streaming — it already seems to be fading pretty quickly there — but this might be more of an adult-oriented hit anyway, which is fine. We’ll probably be hearing more from it come award season at the very least. (Could we get performances from Rihanna at the Super Bowl and the Oscars in back-to-back months?)

4. Along with OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” (from Top Gun: Maverick) and Doja Cat’s “Vegas” (from Elvis), we now have three very different songs from three very different movies hitting the Hot 100’s top 10 in the past month. Is this a meaningful trend to you, or is it just a fluke of timing?

Lyndsey Havens: I honestly hadn’t thought about the possibility of this being a trend, but now that’s been mentioned… I guess it could be related to life being open again and people seeing movies and so on. But I don’t think there’s much more to it than that — as mentioned, these three songs are totally different and popular for totally different reasons: The whistling on “I Ain’t Worried,” the grungy revamp on an Elvis hit and the long-awaited return of one of music’s biggest stars. All hits in their own right.

Cydney Lee: This seems meaningful and reflective of how music is consumed. To me, it seems like people are paying more attention to movie soundtracks these days, especially if the soundtrack features a brand-new song by an artist and not just a synch of a song that’s already out. With the way fandom is now, it makes sense that songs like these would be in the top 10 because fans (and stans) seem to jump on any new music their favorite artist releases. Especially, if it’s an artist who hasn’t dropped anything in years, hence Rihanna.

Jason Lipshutz: A fluke — “I Ain’t Worried” represents a traditional soundtrack hit in that its placement in Top Gun: Maverick has fueled its success, but “Vegas” growing into a top 10 hit speaks more to Doja Cat’s current red-hot singles streak than its usage in Elvis, and “Lift Me Up” is being heralded as Rihanna’s return before we even hear how it’s synched in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. With all that said, movie theaters have been back in full swing in 2022, and it will be interesting to see how soundtrack singles are treated in a post-lockdown world. Maybe 2023 and beyond will include more big swings to try and mine the next “I Ain’t Worried,” and, as Stranger Things proved this year, those big synchs don’t need to be heard in theaters (or new songs, for that matter).

Neena Rouhani: I think it’s meaningful, but feels more like a revival than a recent phenomenon. In 2012, Adele’s “Skyfall” was a Hot 100 top 10 hit showered with accolades, while later in 2015, The Weeknd’s “Earned It” hit No. 1 on a number of charts and won a Grammy. Then, in 2018 we saw it again with “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born. I think we’re maybe seeing it at a more rapid pace, and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s mostly a fluke, but it’s a good reminder that movie soundtracks can still be fertile ground for artists looking to stay in the mix in between albums (like Doja Cat), to reintroduce themselves to a wider audience after a fade from the mainstream (like OneRepublic) or to do a soft launch after a long period of dormancy (like Rihanna). And it’s good news for us as fans, too; it’s always a positive thing for the health and vibrancy of pop music when soundtracks are impacting the culture like this.

5. Place your prop bets: Will we get more new Rihanna music before her Super Bowl gig in February? (And if so, how much/what form will it take?) 

Lyndsey Havens: Hahahaha no.

Cydney Lee: Ha! No. Maybe a single, but even that seems too ambitious.

Jason Lipshutz: Yes. This is just a guess, but my bet would be that we get a splashy uptempo single in the weeks ahead of the Super Bowl, and that “Lift Me Up” represents the poignant place-setter for that main course. Rihanna could easily fill a Super Bowl setlist with her many hits and use “Lift Me Up” as the one tearjerker moment… but come on, we all want a danceable new Rihanna single, and I’d bet that Rihanna knows exactly what we want.

Neena Rouhani: Not only has she already squashed the new album rumors, but I don’t see a world where she releases an album before the performance. Maybe a single. Or she could treat the Super Bowl gig a la Kendrick Lamar for his headlining performance at Day n Vegas, where he used it as a closing of a chapter, highlighting all of his career achievements up until that point. I think it’ll signify the beginning of a new era. And I look forward to seeing how she uses that insanely large platform to make a statement — especially considering her past comments about turning down the 2019 Super Bowl to avoid being a “sellout.”

Andrew Unterberger: I’ll say one more new single. Why not?

Joe Walsh says the hardest thing about putting together his VetsAid benefits for the past six years has been “the ask.”

“I had to ask other artists if they would considering coming and participating and I’d never had to do that before, and I was very uncomfortable about it,” Walsh tells Billboard via Zoom. “I didn’t know if it would work.” It clearly has, but it turned out Walsh didn’t even have to invite one of the biggest names, Dave Grohl, to play at this year’s event, taking place Nov. 13 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

“I hesitated to ask him, but it was his idea,” says Walsh — who played both of Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins benefit concerts with his band James Gang, which is also on the VetsAid bill. “He said, ‘I’m gonna come’ and I said, ‘What are you gonna do?’ He said, ‘I don’t know, but I’m coming.’”

Grohl is billed as a special guest on the lineup, which also includes Nine Inch Nails, the Black Keys and the Breeders, with comedian/actor Drew Carey hosting. Walsh says Grohl “can do anything he wants. He’s gonna play a couple James Gang songs. I’m sure he’ll play ‘Rocky Mountain Way’ with me, probably help sing it.” Grohl performed “Funk #49” with James Gang at both of the Hawkins tribute concerts.

Walsh — whose father was a military flight instructor who died while on active duty in Okinawa, Japan, when Walsh was just 20 months old — founded VetsAid in 2017 to raise funds and awareness for the needs of veterans and their families, distributing funds to grassroots organizations in the communities where the concerts are held and beyond. VetsAid, in partnership with the Combined Arms Institute, has so far distributed more than $2 million in grants from the benefits and other fundraising efforts.

The acts playing this year’s VetsAid show all hail from Ohio; Walsh, though born in Kansas, moved to the state as a youth and attended Kent State University, where he formed his band the Measles. He joined the James Gang during late 1967, scoring Billboard Hot 100 hits “Walk Away” and “Funk #49” before leaving the band in late 1971.

“It’s gonna be all Ohio bands,” Walsh notes, “and there’s a great history of music that came out of Ohio. I’m grateful that I was in Ohio in a band that could play downtown (in Cleveland) and there were 11,000 students on campus that came downtown and supported us. That’s how I put in my 10,000 hours. Ohio has always been that way. There’s places to play and a lot of support. It’s a great place for musicians to work at their craft.” As for other possible collaborations, Walsh adds that “knowing musicians from Ohio, I don’t know who’s gonna be playing with who, and I can’t wait for that soup to get stirred.”

There were early reports that VetsAid would be a final gig for the James Gang, which also includes founding drummer Jimmy Fox and bassist Dale Peters. But Walsh says that may not be the case. “Glenn Frey (his late bandmate in Eagles) used to say never say never, so I’m not,” Walsh explains. “We played the concerts for Taylor Hawkins and it worked really good; we got in front of an audience and we were able to do what we used to do. I haven’t played loud on 11 in a long time; I play in a vocal group, so I have small amps. It’s different to turn it up and go for it, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until we started cookin’ with the James Gang. I can’t wait to play again.”

At both of the Hawkins concerts — Sept. 3 in London and Sept. 27 in Los Angeles — James Gang performed “Walk Away” and “The Bomber” suite as well as “Funk #49.” “What got me was how much love there is in the world for Taylor, and how much Taylor would have loved to be at VetsAid,” recalls Walsh, who’s also contributing to an album celebrating original James Gang member Glenn Schwartz, which is being curated by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. “It was a pilgrimage of musicians. The green room was kinda like the Star Wars bar, and we all got a chance to bond, which we don’t get to do anymore in the digital age. It was profound backstage, and the amount of love that came off the stage and back from the audience was, yeah, profound.”

For those not in Columbus, VetsAid will be livestreamed via veeps.com, with tickets on sale via vetsaid.veeps.com. Net proceeds will go to the charity, while Fandiem and Bandsintown are also participating in helping to raise additional money. This year’s grant recipients include Paralyzed Veterans of America — Buckeye Chapter, Hire Heroes USA, the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, the Resurrecting Lives Foundation, Back the Heroes Rumble and more. Updates and other information can be found at vetsaid.org.

Chris Redd opened up in a new interview on Tuesday (Nov. 8) about having a front row seat to Kanye West‘s pro-Trump diatribe on Saturday Night Live back in 2018.

In case you don’t remember, after performing “Ghost Town” as the episode’s musical guest, the rapper launched into a political rant once the cameras stopped rolling, telling the audience, “The Blacks want always Democrats… you know it’s like the plan they did, to take the fathers out the home and put them on welfare… does anybody know about that? That’s a Democratic plan. There’s so many times I talk to, like, a white person about this and they say, ‘How could you like Trump? He’s racist.’ Well, uh, if I was concerned about racism I would’ve moved out of America a long time ago,” while wearing a red MAGA hat.

However, Redd revealed to The Daily Beast that Ye’s speech wasn’t exactly off-the-cuff. “I remember the dress rehearsal where he tried his dress rehearsal version of that, and I heard it, but there was music playing still so people were like sitting there and vibing,” the comedian told the outlet. “But I was listening to his words, and I was like, bro, he’s about to pull some bulls–t. And I’m not about to be on stage for that. I’m not going to entertain this. Like, I’ve been a fan of Kanye my whole life. And I miss the old Kanye.

“He came in there wanting to shoot everybody — verbally — and I just felt that was disrespectful, because we’re all grown adults,” Redd continued. “And now all of us don’t like you. He just came in there with a chip on his shoulder, ready to talk s–t.”

Redd departed SNL at the close of the 2021-2022 season. West has not been invited back to the late-night sketch series since his rant on the Season 44 premiere.

Billboard and Bandlab partnered to spotlight talented emerging artists looking for a big break in the industry. First up in this two-part series is The Moon City Masters. They are a neo-classic rock band with a sound deeply inspired by soul and funk music from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. After multiple stints playing in different bands, twin brothers Talor and Jordan realized they worked well together and began working under the moniker, The Moon City Masters. The band released their debut EP, The Adventures of the Moon City Masters in late 2019 and since then, they’ve been hard at work mastering songwriting and release strategies. 

Tell us about the inception of The Moon City Masters. 

Talor: We’re twin brothers and we saw our first concert at age 12. Our parents took us to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers and we instantly knew that we wanted to be musicians. Shortly after, they bought us our first guitars, and then Jordan realized he wanted to play the bass. We’ve been in a few different bands over the years and after our last one broke up, we decided to create The Moon City Masters. 

How has working together under The Moon City Masters been? 

Jordan: We fight about stupid brotherly things, but when it comes to the actual music, the voice recorder never lies. We always agree on what sounds better objectively. 

Talor: It’s been creatively amazing and the best experience we’ve had making original music. We have a drummer we play with live and another producer for another non-biased opinion in the room, but we work so well together. If you’re going to be in a band, there needs to be a united vision. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect, but the vision has to be the same. I think we are really good at helping each other shine. 

“Where You Wanna Run To” was a favorite of ours while getting to know your catalog. Tell us about the inception of that track. 

Jordan: I just started dating my partner at the time and we are both big Star Trek nerds. I came up with this melody while I was in the shower and decided to write a song about a sci-fi love adventure only limited by the rhyme scheme. 

Talor: They started dating during the COVID-19 lockdown and she was across the country, so I definitely felt those lyrics about them reuniting after the lockdown. I heard that melody instantly when I heard Taylor’s guitar riff. 

How has your music been received before and after the pandemic? 

Talor: We released our debut EP, The Adventures of the Moon City Masters, just about two months before lockdown. During the pandemic, we focused a lot on our songwriting and overall release strategy, and we have definitely seen a ton of growth since then. We’re up for better opportunities now and have more fans at our shows. We packed out our first show back at The Mercury Lounge in our hometown NYC and even opened up for the one and only Sheila E at Summer Fest in Wisconsin. 

How did you all start working with GRAMMY-nominated producer Justin Craig? How has he helped shape your sound? 

Talor: Justin Craig is my brother-in-law by way of my partner. He’s such a brilliant producer with a background in Americana, rock, indie, and so much more. He has contributed so much to our work and we love collaborating with him. We’re big fans of Justin Craig. 

Jordan: We didn’t want to work with somebody that had a strictly hard rock background. Justin’s eclectic background infuses elements from other genres into our sound and we love that about him. 

As a rock band deeply inspired by soul and funk music, tell us who you listened to growing up and who you listen to now. 

Talor: I’ve been listening to a ton of Chaka Khan and Prince recently. Obviously, we’re classic rock guys, but being from New York, we studied with some incredible jazz musicians over the years. We also really love soul and funk music.

Jordan: Of course the classic rock bands like The Who, Led Zeppelin, etc, but I’m big into Earth Wind & Fire, Marvin Gaye, and all the old Motown stuff. Somebody recently reviewed our music and compared it to The Jackson 5, which is something we never heard and it made me happy because they are a huge inspiration to us. 

How did you find this opportunity with Billboard and Bandlab? 

Talor: We submit to a ton of opportunities on Reverb Nation and Bandlab, but when I got this I was so shocked. Sometimes when you submit to big opportunities, you don’t ever think you’re going to hear back, so we were extremely excited. 

Jordan: We both send so many emails and were so stoked to hear that we would be interviewing with Billboard! 

What’s next for The Moon City Masters? 

We have a compilation album featuring everything we worked on during lockdown releasing November 4th and a European tour starting at the end of the month.