Month: March 2023

TWICE claim their third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated March 25) as Ready to Be: 12th Mini Album debuts atop the list with the act’s best sales week ever. The nine-member South Korean pop act previously led the list with Between 1&2: 11th Mini Album (2022) and Taste of Love: The 10th Mini Album (2021).

Ready to Be launches with 145,500 copies sold in the United States in the week ending March 16, according to Luminate. That sum also marks the second-largest sales week of 2023 for any act, following the debut week of TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation (153,000; chart dated Feb. 11).

Ready to Be also logs a big week in vinyl album sales (nearly 18,000) – the largest for any all-female group since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991.

Also in the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart, Miley Cyrus achieves her biggest sales week in nearly a decade – and 14th top 10 – as Endless Summer Vacation enters at No. 2 with 55,000 copies sold. Endless also collects Cyrus’ biggest ever sales week on vinyl. Plus, rock band Periphery nets its third top 10 – all consecutive – as Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre debuts at No. 10.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Ready to Be’s 145,500 copies sold, physical sales comprise 143,000 (125,000 on CD and nearly 18,000 on vinyl) and digital downloads comprise 2,500.

Like many K-pop releases, Ready to Be was issued in collectible physical format packages (11 different CDs [including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target and the group’s official webstore] and two vinyl LPs [one exclusive to Target and one exclusive to the act’s webstore). CD variants of Ready contain a standard set of items and randomized elements (such as a postcards, photo cards, etc.).

Unusually, Ready to Be had a vinyl version of the album available on the same wide release date as the CD edition of the album, as most major K-pop titles in the past were initially available only as a physical album on CD and on no other physical formats (like vinyl or cassette). The vinyl editions of the album did not include randomized items, but were packaged with a lenticular postcard, poster and slipmat. Target’s exclusive LP is marbled orchid-colored, while the act’s webstore exclusive is an ultra-clear vinyl edition.

Ready to Be’s nearly 18,000 vinyl sales marks the largest week for a vinyl album by a female group since Luminate began electronically tracking sales in 1991. It’s also the second-largest sales week on vinyl for any K-pop album, following the debut week of BTS’ Love Yourself: Her earlier in 2023 (18,000; chart dated Jan. 21). Unlike Ready to Be, the Love Yourself: Her vinyl LP arrived to market more than five years after the album’s original release on CD and digital download in 2017.

Beyond the physical editions of the album, TWICE’s U.S. webstore also issued four alternative digital album downloads of Ready to Be – each with a different cover, digital replicas of individual group members’ signatures, and a bonus track (a voice memo from different group members).

Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation debuts at No. 2 on Top Album Sales with her biggest sales week in nearly a decade, as it bows with 55,000 copies sold. Cyrus last had a larger sales week when Bangerz sold a little more than 63,000 during Christmas week of 2013 (reflected on the Top Album Sales chart dated Jan. 11, 2014). Bangerz earlier debuted at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with 270,500 copies sold (Oct. 26, 2013 chart).

Of Endless Summer Vacation’s 55,000 copies sold, physical sales comprise 37,500 (12,500 on CD and 25,000 on vinyl) and digital downloads comprise 17,500. Endless logs Cyrus’ largest sales week for a vinyl album since Luminate began electronically tracking music sales in 1991. On the Vinyl Albums chart, Endless debuts at No. 1 – her second leader on the list following Plastic Hearts in 2021.

Endless was released in four vinyl variants: standard black vinyl, a white-colored edition exclusive to Target and two color editions exclusive to Cyrus’ webstore (red and silver). All vinyl LPs came packaged with a poster.

CD sales were also aided by two deluxe boxed sets (one with a puzzle and a CD, the other with a beach towel and a CD) sold exclusively through her webstore.

Endless is Cyrus’ 14th top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales, including those albums credited to her Disney Channel character Hannah Montana.

A trio of former No. 1s is next on Top Album Sales: Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time (1-3 in its second week with 21,000; down 81%), TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s The Name Chapter: Temptation (6-4 with 11,000; up 5%) and Taylor Swift’s Midnights (7-5 with 10,000; up 3%).

NCT 127’s Ay-Yo: The 4th Album Repackage falls 2-6 on Top Album Sales (9,500; down 67%), P!nk’s former leader Trustfall rises 9-7 (8,500; down 5%), Gorillaz’s chart-topping Cracker Island is a non-mover at No. 8 (6,000; down 37%) and Stray Kids’ former No. 1 MAXIDENT climbs 13-9 (6,000; up 17%).

Closing out the top 10 is rock band Periphery, which scores its third top 10 – all consecutive – as Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre debuts at No. 10 with nearly 6,000 sold. 55% of the sales came from the vinyl edition of the set.

In the week ending March 16, there were 1.961 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 0.9% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.605 million (up 5.3%) and digital albums comprised 355,000 (down 21.9%).

There were 733,000 CD albums sold in the week ending March 16 (up 10% week-over-week) and 862,000 vinyl albums sold (up 1.8%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 6.925 million (up 2.5% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 9.678 million (up 25.4%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 20.609 million (up 8.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 16.705 million (up 14.7%) and digital album sales total 3.904 million (down 13%).

Eric Nam is gearing up for a busy 2023. The South Korean singer caught up with Billboard News and gave fans an idea of what to expect from him in the coming months, explaining the inspiration behind releasing his re-recorded version of his 2022 album There and Back Again.

There and Back Again was release in January 2022. The set peaked at No. 22 on Billboard‘s Top Album Sales chart, but Nam wanted to re-record it in order to keep up with people’s decreasing attention span with music.

“I felt like in today’s time and age, music…people get bored really easily. They get really sick of things really fast, but it doesn’t mean you wrote a bad song,” he said of the re-released album, which arrived earlier this month. “I feel like art has been so short, so I wanted to give people a reason to go back to some of the songs I think were great because they weren’t the single.”

As for what’s next for Nam, the singer tweeted on March 15 and teased that a “new Eric Nam era is loading,” which might be coming even sooner than fans think. “I have a brand-new album that I’ll be putting out in the summer, I think? And a tour soon after that!” he told Billboard News host Tetris Kelly.

Listen to Eric Nam talk about his new music and future album release plans in his Billboard News interview in the video above.

Nick Cannon is Hollywood’s favorite procreator, and he revealed whom from his past he regrets not having children with.

The father of 12 recently joined The Shade Room for an interview, where he revealed that he would have been down to start a family with his Love Don’t Cost a Thing co-star and ex-girlfriend Christina Milian.

The couple dated for two years before splitting in 2005. Four years later, Milian announced her first pregnancy with her ex, The-Dream.

“When Christina Milian and I were doing Love Don’t Cost a Thing, I remember when I found out she was pregnant, I was like, ‘Dang, man,’ but I was so happy for her,” Cannon shared, adding that “everybody talks about having kids” when they’re together.

“I remember that we was kids in love early on, and so we talked about that, but to each his own,” he continued. “Life plans it out. The universe gives it how it’s supposed to be given.”

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Even though the couple never welcomed a child together, Cannon’s daddy duties are already piling up. He shares twins Monroe and Moroccan with ex-wife Mariah Carey, and twins Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa, who gave birth to her third baby with Cannon, Beautiful Zeppelin, less than two months prior to his youngest child, daughter Halo’s birth. He shares the 3-month-old with model Alyssa Scott.

He is also dad to Golden Sagon, Powerful Queen and Rise Messiah, whom he shares with Brittany Bell; Legendary Love, whose mom is Bre Tiesi; and Onyx Ice Cole with LaNisha Cole.

A new Hailee Steinfeld era is incoming. The singer/actress shared a teaser photo to her Instagram on Wednesday (March 22) of what fans can expect from her new music, and spoiler: It feels very beachy.

The post in question features a yellow saturated photo of the 26-year-old staring straight into the camera, hair, eyebrows and both sides of her face falling into a dreamy soft focus, with the word “Sun Kissing” — the song title — positioned directly underneath her face.

Fans thankfully won’t have to wait too long for the track to be released, as she shared the details regarding its arrival in the caption: “TOMORROW (March 23) 9 PST,” she wrote, along with several flaming heart emojis.

“Sun Kissing” will serve as the follow-up to Steinfeld’s 2022 track “Coast,” which features Silk Sonic’s Anderson .Paak.

Speaking with Grammy.com, the singer explained that her forthcoming music was the first time she “was able to create this whole universe, which I’ve never been able to do with my music. In a way, with the music working so well simultaneously to my acting, I’ve had these singles that have come out over time. This is really the first time I’ve been able to build a proper world that I cannot wait for. Everybody’s getting a little taste of it with “Coast,” but there’s so much more where that came from.”

See the cover art for Steinfeld’s forthcoming new single “Sun Kissing” in the photo below.

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Sure, Cardi B shows off her impressive dance moves and twerking skills in music videos like “Up,” but she admits that her talents do have some limitations.

The rapper took to Twitter on Wednesday (March 22) to respond to a fan who suggested that she and her husband Offset recreate the high-energy dance breakdown in Michael and Janet Jackson’s 1995 hit, “Scream.”

“Offset YES…..Me? …..my knee already broke,” Cardi jokingly replied, retweeting the video.

Offset YES…..Me? …..my knee already broke https://t.co/Ce72biPU1O

— Cardi B (@iamcardib) March 22, 2023

It’s been an exciting year for Cardi, who recently released a personalized Valentine’s-ready McDonald’s meal with the Migos rapper, featuring Quarter Pounder with cheese, a cheeseburger, side of BBQ sauce, a large fry and apple pie to share, and two large drinks.

Along with the McDonald’s meal, Cardi and Offset also released a full merch collection filled with T-shirts, hoodies, booty shorts and beanies emblazoned with plenty of puns (“nice buns”), signature catchphrases (Cardi’s famous “ok uu rr rr rr”) and more.

In February, Cardi surprised an ecstatic crowd as a special guest at GloRilla’s New York City concert, where the pair teamed up to perform their hit collab “Tomorrow 2,” just weeks after the former and her husband dazzled with a pre-Super Bowl set in Arizona attended by Serena Williams, Tiffany Haddish and more.

A2IM (The American Association of Independent Music, Inc.) announced the nominees for the 2023 Libera Awards on Wednesday (March 22), and Wet Leg leads the pack with six nominations.

The British indie rock group, led by founders Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers, is fresh off their first two Grammy wins, taking home the awards for best alternative music performance and best alternative music album at the 2023 ceremony.

Sudan Archives, Allison Russell, Fontaines D.C. and Soul Glo all have three nominations each at the Libera Awards, which will take place at the historic Town Hall in New York City on June 15. The A2IM is a not-for-profit trade association that represents independent music recording owners and advocates for music owners on a policy level to ensure fair compensation for their work.

“Huge congratulations to all our talented and accomplished nominees for the 12th annual A2IM Libera Awards,” Dr. Richard James Burgess, president and CEO of A2IM, said in a press statement. “The A2IM Libera Awards is the world’s largest award show for the diverse universe of independent music and this year’s event will be the biggest and best to date.”

See the full list of nominations below, and buy tickets to the ceremony here.

Record of the Year

Alvvays – Blue Rev (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD)
Plains – I Walked With You A Ways (ANTI-)
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems (Epitaph)
The Smile – A Light for Attracting Attention (XL Recordings)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)

Label of the Year (5 or fewer employees)

Don Giovanni Records
Fire Talk
Innovative Leisure
Oh Boy Records
Topshelf Records

Label of the Year (6-14 employees)

Captured Tracks
City Slang
Daptone Records
Glassnote Records
Saddle Creek
Yep Roc Records

Label of the Year (15 or more employees)

ATO Records
Hopeless Records
Merge Records
New West Records
Ninja Tune
Partisan Records
Sub Pop Records
Third Man Records
Warp Records

A2IM Humanitarian Award

Allison Russell
Björk
Hopeless Records
Killer Mike
Margo Price
Tegan and Sara

Independent Champion

Aaron Axelsen
Bandcamp
FUGA
Redeye
Secretly Distribution
TuneCore

Video of the Year presented by YouTube Music

Amanda Shires – Hawk For The Dove (ATO Records)
Fontaines D.C. – Jackie Down The Line (Partisan Records)
JayWood – Thank You (Captured Tracks)
NoSo – Parasites (Partisan Records)
Wet Leg – Ur Mum (Domino Recording Co.)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Spitting Off the Edge of the World (Secretly Canadian)

Breakthrough Artist/Release

Allison Russell (Fantasy Records)
Charlotte Sands (CS Records/Lakeside)
Soul Glo (Epitaph)
Sudan Archives (Stones Throw Records)
The Linda Lindas (Epitaph)

Best Alternative Rock Record

Alvvays – Blue Rev (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Dry Cleaning – Stumpwork (4AD)
Mitski – Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
Nilüfer Yanya – Painless (ATO Records)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)

Best American Roots Record

49 Winchester – Fortune Favors the Bold (New West Records)
Angel Olsen – Big Time (Jagjaguwar)
Calexico – El Mirador (ANTI-)
Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco (Son of Davy/Thirty Tigers)
Kevin Morby – This Is A Photograph (Dead Oceans)
Nikki Lane – Denim & Diamonds (New West Records)

Best Blues Record

Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance (Chrysalis)
Delbert McClinton – Outdated Emotion (Hot Shot Records/Thirty Tigers)
North Mississippi Allstars – Set Sail (New West Records)
Shemekia Copeland – Done Come Too Far (Alligator Records)
G. Love – Philadelphia Mississippi (Philadelphonic Records/Thirty Tigers)
John Mayall – The Sun Is Shining Down (Forty Below Records)

Best Classical Record

Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn – Pigments (Merge Records)
Deru – We Will Live On (Friends of Friends)
doeke – memorie (Nettwerk Music Group)
James Heather – Invisible Forces (Ahead Of Our Time)
Jonas Colstrup – At the Crest (!7K Records)
Sean Shibe – Lost & Found (Pentatone)

Best Country Record

Colter Wall – Cypress Hills and the Big Country (La Honda Records/Thirty Tigers)
Dolly Parton – Run, Rose, Run (Butterfly Records)
Joshua Hedley – Neon Blue (New West Records)
Lavender Country – Blackberry Rose (Don Giovanni Records)
Margo Price – Change of Heart (Loma Vista Recordings)
Plains – I Walked With You A Ways (ANTI-)
Steve Earle and The Dukes – JERRY JEFF (New West Records)

Best Dance Record

Bicep – Water (Ninja Tune)
Jungle – GOOD TIMES / PROBLEMZ (AWAL)
Kelela – Happy Ending (Warp Records)
Logic1000 – Can’t Stop Thinking About (Therapy/Because Music)
Romy feat. Fred Again… – Strong (Young)
Theo Parrish – DJ-Kicks (!K7 Records)

Best Electronic Record presented by Ingrooves

Bonobo – Fragments (Ninja Tune)
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Topical Dancer (DEEWEE/Because Music)
Jockstrap – I Love You Jennifer B (Rough Trade Records)
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Let’s Turn It Into Sound (Ghostly International)
ODESZA – The Last Goodbye (Ninja Tune/Foreign Family Collective)
Shygirl – Nymph (Because Music)
Sylvan Esso – No Rules Sandy (Loma Vista Recordings)

Best Folk Record

Aoife O’Donovan – Age of Apathy (Yep Roc Records)
Big Thief – Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You (4AD)
Christian Lee Hutson – Quitters (ANTI-)
Julia Jacklin – PRE PLEASURE (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
Skullcrusher – Quiet The Room (Secretly Canadian)

Best Global Record presented by Redeye Worldwide

Dungen – En Är För Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog (Mexican Summer)
Ibibio Sound Machine – Electricity (Merge Records)
Los Bitchos – Let the Festivities Begin! (City Slang)
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Refait (Matador Records)
Rodrigo y Gabriela – Weird Fishes/Arpeggi (ATO Records)
Tinariwen – Kel Tinariwen (Wedge)
Vieux Farka Touré et Khruangbin – Ali (Dead Oceans)

Best Heavy Record

Bad Omens – The Death of Peace of Mind (Sumerian Records)
Beartooth – Riptide (Red Bull Records)
black midi – Hellfire (Rough Trade Records)
Russian Circles – Gnosis (Sargent House)
Show Me The Body – Trouble The Water (Loma Vista Recordings)
Soul Glo – Diaspora Problems (Epitaph)

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record presented by Virgin Music

Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes (BMG)
Denzel Curry – Melt My Eyez See My Future (Loma Vista Recordings)
Kenny Beats – LOUIE (XL Recordings)
Run The Jewels – RTJ CU4TRO (BMG)
Saba – Few Good Things (Pivot Gang LLC)
Sampa The Great – As Above, So Below (Loma Vista Recordings)

Best Jazz Record

Ezra Collective – Where I’m Meant To Be (Partisan Records)
Kamasi Washington – The Garden Path (Young)
Leland Whitty – Anyhow (Innovative Leisure)
Sun Ra Arkestra – Living Sky (Omni Sound)
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton, Matthew Stevens – new STANDARDS Vol. 1 (Candid Records)

Best Latin Record

Adrian Quesada – Boleros Psicodélicos (ATO Records)
Combo Chimbita – IRE (ANTI-)
Eliane Elias – Quietude (Candid Records)
Flora Purim – If You Will (STRUT Records)
Helado Negro – Ya No Astoy Aquí (4AD)
Sessa – Estrela Acesa (Mexican Summer)
Silvana Estrada – Marchita (Glassnote Records)

Best Live/Livestream Act

Bartees Strange – Live at the Getty (4AD)
Black Pumas – Colors Live at Abbey Road Studios (ATO Records)
IDLES – Live on ‘From The Basement’ (Partisan Records)
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard at Red Rocks (KGLW)
Low – Live (Sub Pop Records)
Phoebe Bridgers – Glastonbury 2022 (Dead Oceans)
Wet Leg – US 2022 tour (Domino Recording Co.)

Best Outlier Record

Animal Collective – Time Skiffs (Domino Recording Co.)
Matisyahu – Matisyahu (Fallen Sparks Records/Thirty Tigers)
Moor Mother – Jazz Codes (ANTI-)
Nick Hakim – COMETA (ATO Records)
NNAMDÏ – Please Have A Seat (Secretly Canadian/Sooper Records)
yeule – Glitch Princess (Bayonet Records)

Best Pop Record

Björk – Fossora (One Little Independent/MRI)
Let’s Eat Grandma – Two Ribbons (Transgressive Records)
Lucius – Second Nature (Mom + Pop Music)
MUNA – MUNA (Saddest Factory Records)
NoSo – Stay Proud of Me (Partisan Records)
Rina Sawayama – Hold The Girl (Dirty Hit)
Tegan and Sara – Crybaby (Mom + Pop Music)

Best Punk Record

Big Joanie – Back Home (Kill Rock Stars)
Special Interest – Endure (Rough Trade Records)
The Linda Lindas – Growing Up (Epitaph)
The Wonder Years – The Hum Goes On Forever (Hopeless Records)
Wu-Lu – LOGGERHEAD (Warp Records)

Best R&B Record

Bettye LaVette – Let Me Down Easy: Bettye LaVette In Memphis Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022 (Sun Label Group, LLC)
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Moon (Dead Oceans)
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen (Stones Throw Records)
Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls (Daptone Records)
Yaya Bey – Remember Your North Star (Big Dada/Ninja Tune)

Best Re-Issue

Bon Iver – Bon Iver, 10th Anniversary Edition (Jagjaguwar)
Fela Kuti – Fela with Ginger Baker Live! (Partisan Records)
Karen Dalton – In My Own Time, 50th Anniversary Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965, Deluxe Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Nancy Sinatra – Nancy & Lee (Light In The Attic Records)
Neko Case – Wild Creatures (ANTI-)
Ray Charles – A Message From The People (Tangerine Records)

Best Remix

ACRAZE + Tiësto – Do It To It (Tiësto Mix) (Thrive Music)
Bartees Strange – Wretched (keiyaA Remix) (4AD)
Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul – Cliché (Soulwax Remix) (DEEWEE/Because Music)
Clipping – Nothing Is Safe (remx) (Sub Pop Records)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Get Sun (Georgia Anne Muldrow Remix) (Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune)
Nilüfer Yanya – Midnight Sun (Sampha remix) (ATO Records)
Wet Leg – Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix) (Domino Recording Co.)

Best Rock Record

Built to Spill – When The Wind Forgets Your Name (Sub Pop Records)
Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (Partisan Records)
Jack White – Fear of the Dawn (Third Man Records)
Soccer Mommy – Sometimes, Forever (Loma Vista Recordings)
Spoon – Lucifer On The Sofa (Matador Records)

Best Short-Form Video

Belle And Sebastian – Scooter (Matador Records)
Black Midi – Hellfire TikTok promotion (Rough Trade Records)
Boy Harsher – The Runner (City Slang)
Cigarettes After Sex – Pistol (Partisan Records)
Kenny Beats – LOUIE 001 Instagram vignette series (XL Recordings)
Toro y Moi – MAHAL TikTok series (Dead Oceans)

Best Singer-Songwriter Record

Aldous Harding – Warm Chris (4AD)
Allison Russell Feat. Brandi Carlile – You’re Not Alone (Fantasy Records)
Beth Orton – Weather Alive (Partisan Records)
MJ Lenderman – Boat Songs (Dear Life Records)
Weyes Blood – And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow (Sub Pop Records)

Best Soul/Funk Record

Lee Fields – Sentimental Fool (Daptone Records)
Ray Charles – Live In Stockholm 1972 (Tangerine Records)
SERATONES – Love & Algorhythms (New West Records)
St. Paul & The Broken Bones – The Alien Coast (ATO Records)
Swamp Dogg – I Need A Job…So I Can Buy More Auto-Tune (Don Giovanni)

Best Spiritual Record

Brent Cobb – And Now, Let’s Turn to Page… (Ol’ Buddy Records/Thirty Tigers)
Israel & New Breed – Worship Anywhere: Live from Camp NewBreed (District 11 Entertainment)
Lecrae – Church Clothes 4 (Reach Records)
Montell Fish – JAMIE (Lord’s Child)
The Harlem Gospel Travelers – Look Up! (Colemine Records)

Self-Released Record of the Year

Echosmith – Cool Kids (our version) (Echosmith)
Jessie Baylin – Jersey Girl (Missing Piece Record/The Orchard)
Rita Wilson – Rita Wilson Now & Forever: Duets (Sing it Loud)
Sarah Davachi – Two Sisters (Late Music)
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – When the Lights Go (Nice Age)

Best Sync Usage

Angel Olsen – Go Home, Empire of Light Trailer (Jagjaguwar)
Fela Kuti – Water No Get Enemy, Airbnb (Partisan Records)
Lawrence – Don’t Lose Sight, Microsoft (Beautiful Mind / Lakeside)
Sinéad O’Connor – Drink Before the War, Euphoria (Chrysalis Records)
Stereolab – A Flower Called Nowhere, Atlanta (Warp Records)

Creative Packaging

Black Country, New Road – Ants From Up There, Deluxe (Ninja Tune)
Jack White – 2022 Collectors’ Set (Third Man Records)
Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965, Deluxe Edition (Light In The Attic Records)
Mitski – Laurel Hell (Dead Oceans)
My Morning Jacket – Circuital, Deluxe Edition (ATO Records)
Sleep – Dopesmoker, Weedian High-Fi Edition (Third Man Records)

Marketing Genius

Fontaines D.C. – Skinty Fia (Partisan Records)
Ghost – IMPERA (Loma Vista Recordings)
Sudan Archives – Natural Brown Prom Queen (Stones Throw Records)
Wet Leg – Wet Leg (Domino Recording Co.)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Cool It Down (Secretly Canadian)

Wednesday (March 22) marks the 10-year anniversary of one of EDM’s milestone moments: the Ultra Music Festival performance where Avicii was booed while debuting his then-new single “Wake Me Up.”

2013 was a heady time for dance music in the U.S., marking the height of the EDM explosion, the influx of money and fans to the scene and Avicii as its biggest star — a position he’d earned after releasing a litany of genre-defining hits, including his 2011 breakout track “Levels.”

But on March 22, 2013, things went sideways for Avicii, if only momentarily.

It was on this day that the artist born Tim Bergling used his mainstage set at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival to debut a new track. A group of musicians assembled onstage and proceeded to play a bluegrass song that had little resemblance to the maximalist EDM the assembled crowd was expecting.

Instead, they got banjo, two guitars and vocalist Aloe Blacc singing about carrying the weight of the world. According to those in the crowd that night, the performance “did not pop.”

“When we performed at Ultra, it was just awkward,” Blacc told Spin in 2019. “I don’t think even the sound people knew what they were doing. Everybody else at the festival had air cannons and pyro and half-naked girls dancing onstage. Then here comes Tim with drums, banjo, fiddle, guitar and three singers.”

But despite the audience really not getting it, the world soon would. That new track, “Wake Me Up,” soon exploded, ultimately becoming the most successful song in the Avicii catalog. It was the Swedish producer’s only top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 4 in October 2013. It spent 26 weeks at No. 1 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in 2013-14 and spent 10 weeks at No. 1 Dance/Mix Show Airplay. In the last decade it’s been streamed more than 2.97 billion times globally, according to Luminate.

But this Ultra 2013 performance — which also included a similarly frosty reception for the other new country-leaning Avicii track “Hey Brother” — contained much more than its most famous moment. Nearly 10 minutes of new footage released by the Avicii estate on Wednesday captures this show’s renditions of “Addicted to You” and “Dear Boy,” which (like “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother”) are also from Avicii’s 2013 album True. That LP was released six months after the 2013 Ultra show.

This footage of “Addicted to You” features guest vocalist Audra Mae, who is the great-great niece of Judy Garland, taking the stage. The song is followed by “Dear Boy,” which finds the late producer — who would die five years after this show — manning the decks while wearing his signature backward baseball hat as the lights flash in front of him and the crowd goes as wild as they eventually would for “Wake Me Up.” Watch the performance below.