Month: May 2023

Just days before receiving the Agent of Change Award at the Billboard Latin Women in Music gala, taking place May 6 in Miami, Billboard set down with Goyo for a candid interview.

The fireside chat touched on Goyo’s efforts to raise awareness about societal issues and why women are still missing out on opportunities in Latin music. But before Billboard‘s Leila Cobo and Goyo got deep and candid in the conversation, the Colombian singer-songwriter expressed gratitude for being named Latin Women in Music’s Agent of Change. “I feel very excited to be honored with this award. It’s pure motivation to continue moving forward,” she says.

About the status of women in Latin music, Goyo says, “I think there is always a world of opportunities. There’s a lot of people working to make it happen. We’re increasingly more conscious about that. Without taking genre into consideration, everyone is more conscious about that and many things can be done without fear or taboos.”

Goyo’s music aims to uplift Afro-Latino/as, who for decades have been under- and misrepresented both in her native Colombia and the world. She’s known for lending her vocals to socially conscious hip-hop fusion collective ChocQuibTown. Now, as a solo artist, she continues to elevate Afro-Latin women.

“I always say, we have to admire our differences and identify what the sentiment is when I choose an artist or a musical style I choose to collaborate with,” Goyo tells Cobo. “What’s behind my choices. It shouldn’t be just to follow a trend but be intentional.”

Catch Goyo and other honorees, such as Shakira, Thalía and Ana Gabriel, at the first-ever Billboard Latin Women in Music gala taking place Saturday, at the Watsco Center in Miami. The two-hour show will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday, May 7 at 9pm ET.

A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin women artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry

Tickets to Billboard’s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.

Olivia Rodrigo brought Old Hollywood glamour to the 2023 Met Gala on Monday night (May 1), rocking a Thom Browne black-and-white gown that looks like it was made entirely out of string, held together by stunning florals at the bust.

To complete the look, the “Good 4 U” singer rocked a sleek bun with Audrey Hepburn-esque micro-bangs, as well as a simple winged eyeliner and berry-colored lipstick à la the Breakfast at Tiffany’s icon.

This year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” will showcase more than 150 original looks designed by Lagerfeld, who died at 85 years old in 2019, delving into the former Chanel creative director’s expansive seven-decade career. Many of his original sketches are also set to appear alongside the objects on display.

Rodrigo has now attended three Met Gala red carpets, rocking one of the top looks of the night during 2022’s Gilded Glamour-themed event, where she opted for a sparkling lavender Versace gown, paired with mesh lilac gloves, loose wavy hair with butterfly clips and a purple smokey eye.

See Olivia Rodrigo’s 2023 Met Gala look below.

Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian singer/songwriter behind the folk hits “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Sundown” and “If You Could Read My Mind,” died at age 84 on Monday (May 1), his family has announced.

“Gordon Lightfoot passed away this evening in a Toronto hospital at 7:30 p.m.,” a statement on Lightfoot’s Facebook page announced, promising “more to come.”

Earlier this month, Lightfoot had canceled his upcoming U.S. and Canada tour dates due to health issues. “Gordon Lightfoot announces the cancellation of his U.S. and Canadian concert schedule for 2023,” a statement read at the time. “The singer is currently experiencing some health related issues and is unable to confirm rescheduled dates at this time.”

Lightfoot’s six-decade career began in the early 1960s on the Toronto folk circuit and went worldwide in the 1970s thanks to a string of influential hits. He scored four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in the ’70s, starting with “If You Could Read My Mind,” which peaked at No. 5 in 1971. Next up were “Sundown” — his lone No. 1 — and “Carefree Highway” (No. 10), both from 1974’s Sundown — also his only No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.

Finally, there was the most epic song of his catalog, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” which was released in 1976 and peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100. The song told the story of the fatal sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald a year earlier in Lake Superior, which killed all 29 men aboard the Great Lakes freighter. “They might have split up or they might have capsized/ They may have broke deep and took water/ And all that remains is the faces and the names/ Of the wives and the sons and the daughters,” the poetic lyrics read.

Lightfoot was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012. He won 13 Juno Awards in his native Canada, capped by his induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986. He won four Juno Awards for male vocalist of the year (1971-73 and 1975) and two for composer of the year (1973 and 1977). Lightfoot was nominated for four Grammys (but never won) — best folk performance for Did She Mention My Name (1968), best pop vocal performance, male for “If You Could Read My Mind” (1971) and song of the year and best pop vocal performance, male for “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (1976).

Lightfoot is survived by his wife, actress Kim Hasse, whom he married in 2011. He had six children from his past relationships, including two previous marriages.

Dua Lipa arrived at the 2023 Met Gala on Monday (May 1) as this year’s co-chair, and completed the theme in one of fashion history’s most beloved garments.

This year’s theme is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, and the “Levatating” pop star honored the late German fashion designer by wearing one of his Chanel Haute Couture bridal gowns, which famously closed out every catwalk. Lipa’s knitted corset gown was originally modeled by Lagerfeld’s longtime muse, Claudia Schiffer, during the Chanel couture fall/winter 1992 show.

Lipa accessorized her Chanel bride look with her hair in long, loose waves and a stunning, bejeweled necklace.

The Grammy-winning superstar is co-chairing this year’s prestigious event alongside Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel and Roger Federer, a lineup that spans “every realm of popular culture,” according to Vogue.

“Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” will showcase more than 150 original looks designed by Lagerfeld, who died at 85 years old in 2019, delving into the former Chanel creative director’s expansive seven-decade career. Many of his original sketches are also set to appear alongside the objects on display.

See Lipa’s full Chanel bride look below.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again makes history on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated May 6), as he becomes the youngest artist in the chart’s history to tally 100 career Hot 100 hits.

The rapper adds his 100th total entry as “Big Truck” rolls in at No. 100. The song, released via Never Broke Again/Motown/Capitol Records, debuts with 6.6 million official U.S. streams April 21-27, according to Luminate. It’s on YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s new album Don’t Try This at Home, which debuts at No. 5 on the latest Billboard 200 with 60,000 equivalent album units, marking his 14th top 10.

YoungBoy is the 13th act the Hot 100’s nearly 65-year history to chart 100 or more entries, and the newest member of the club since Lil Baby joined in April 2022. Before that, Justin Bieber reached the milestone in 2021, after Chris Brown, Future and Taylor Swift in 2020.

At 23 years, six months and two weeks old, YoungBoy is, aptly, the youngest artist to ever score 100 entries at the time of achieving the feat. Lil Baby previously held the honor, then at 27 years, four months and two weeks. Bieber was the youngest before Lil Baby (27 years, four months and three weeks), as he surpassed Drake (28 years, 11 months and two weeks, in 2015).

Here’s an updated look at the 13 acts with 100 or more career entries on the Hot 100, which began on Aug. 4, 1958.

Total Billboard Hot 100 Hits:
294, Drake
207, Glee Cast
189, Taylor Swift
184, Lil Wayne
161, Future
141, Kanye West
134, Lil Baby
128, Nicki Minaj
114, Chris Brown
109, Elvis Presley
105, Jay-Z
105, Justin Bieber
100, YoungBoy Never Broke Again

As for who’s next in line after YoungBoy for the honor: Eminem (currently at 95 Hot 100 entries), The Weeknd (93), James Brown (91), Travis Scott (89), Lil Uzi Vert (86), Beyoncé, Young Thug (81 each), 21 Savage (79) and Juice WRLD (77).

Of YoungBoy’s 100 total entries, 12 have reached the top 40 and one has hit the top 10: “Bandit,” with Juice WRLD, peaked at No. 10 in 2019. YoungBoy first appeared on the Hot 100 dated Sept. 2, 2017, when his track “Untouchable” debuted and peaked at No. 95. He reached the top 40 for the first time in his fourth visit, with “Outside Today” in February 2018 (No. 31 peak).

Elvis Presley, whose career predates the Hot 100’s 1958 launch, was the first artist to achieve 100 hits on the survey. He reached the milestone in 1975 with “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” which peaked at No. 35.

While it’s rare for artists to chart triple-digit entries on the Hot 100, it’s become a more regular occurrence since the ranking began including streaming figures (which make up the chart’s data mix with radio airplay and sales). As such, certain acts have been able to achieve high totals of Hot 100 hits after releasing high-profile albums. The model contrasts with prior decades, when acts generally promoted one single at a time in the physical-only marketplace and on radio. That shift in consumption helps explain why artists have been able to increase their career entry and top 10 totals over short spans in recent years.