Month: September 2023

The Revels Group, together with partners Amazon Music, Patrón El Alto Tequila, gamma., Stem and Jrumz Ear Wear, will host the second annual BLACK: Future. Now. Brunch, Billboard can exclusively announce Thursday (Sept. 14).

BLACK: Future. Now. (BFN) is an initiative that The Revels Group CEO/co-founder Jamil Davis launched last year. Black executives, creatives, artists and visionaries are expected to attend the celebratory brunch in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 17, which will kick off the week leading up to the BMAC Action in Music Gala, which will take place Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Beverly Hills Hilton.

“The mission of BFN is to highlight Black pillars, alongside rising stars, in their respective industries, who are paving the way for generations to come. By giving young executives that don’t typically get as much recognition their shine as well as seasoned leaders, BFN is working to establish the next generation alongside the giants they will become,” Davis said in a press statement. “We’re thrilled to be kicking off BMAC week with a chance to celebrate our BFN honorees and keep fulfilling our Revels Group mission of empowering creatives. I can’t wait to enjoy an afternoon of great food and music with our BLACK: Future. Now. family.”

During the brunch, The Revels Group will present the inaugural Visual Impact Award to visual artist Child. — who earned a Grammy nod this year for directing Doja Cat‘s “Woman” music video — while Ice Spice and RIOTUSA‘s manager James Rosemond Jr. will be presented with the BLACK: Future. Now. Award and rapper Teezo Touchdown will be presented with the first-ever BFN Future Phenom Award.

“The Black Music Action Coalition is proud to partner with The Revels Group on the 2nd annual BLACK: Future. Now. Brunch to kick off BMAC week,” said Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/co-chair of BMAC. “We are shining the spotlight on some young executives and artists who are carrying the torch, continuing to elevate and expand the culture while blazing new paths of innovation and excellence.”

Added Larry Jackson, CEO/co-founder of gamma.: “The Revels Group, BLACK: Future. Now. and gamma. all share the core value of connectivity and empowerment. Jamil’s strength lies in building community and highlighting talent across all sectors. BFN’s focus on Black excellence aligns with gamma.’s commitment to investing in and showcasing Black creativity. gamma. partnering with BFN’s foundation will bolster the bonds of creativity and provide space for the next generation of Black talent to shine.”

On Thursday (Sept. 14), TikTok and Billboard announced the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart — a new weekly chart that will track the most popular songs on the platform in the U.S. The chart is available to all TikTok users in the U.S. and on Billboard.com.

The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is the first chart to monitor the popularity of music on the video-sharing platform. The chart is based on a combination of creations, video views and user engagement by the U.S. TikTok community and will be released weekly every Thursday, starting today.

Sexyy Red is the first artist to top the chart, with “SkeeYee” starting at No. 1 on this week’s inaugural TikTok Billboard Top 50. (Three other Sexxy Red songs also land on this week’s tally.) Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” — which climbs to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 — is the No. 2 track on the first TikTok Billboard Top 50, while Taylor Swift’s folklore track “august” lands at No. 3.

“TikTok is already the world’s most powerful platform for music discovery and promotion, and each week our passionate community of music fans drives songs onto the Billboard charts,” said Ole Obermann, global head of music business development at TikTok. “It therefore made perfect sense to partner with Billboard to create the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart. The chart gives a clear picture of the music that is being listened to on TikTok, and consequently starting to trend on DSPs and other services.”

In addition to the contemporary top three on the new chart, Dazz Band’s “Let It Whip” — a top five Hot 100 hit from 1982 — lands in the top 10 of the first TikTok Billboard Top 50, along with country tracks from Zach Bryan and Tim McGraw and songs from R&B legend Charlie Wilson and emo band Pinegrove.

“We are thrilled to partner on the first Billboard chart on TikTok,” said Mike Van, president, Billboard. “At Billboard, we are constantly evolving our charts to reflect how fans engage with music and connect them more deeply with the artists they love. We see a clear opportunity to recognize the way music discovery on TikTok is shaping popular culture and are proud to offer this tool to the industry, while offering brands a new way to engage with music fans at scale. You’re not No. 1 until you’re No. 1 on Billboard.”

For her part, Sexyy Red wants to thank her fans on TikTok for “running my music up!”

“I am so excited that so many of my songs are charting on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart,” said Sexyy Red. “I always knew I would be a No. 1 type of artist, so I want to thank all my fans on TikTok for running my music up! I’m just being me on TikTok and people love it.”

Also celebrating Sexyy Red’s new chart-topper is Larry Jackson’s entertainment company gamma, which counts the rookie rapper as one of its early success stories after launching in March. Jackson tells Billboard he’s “so incredibly proud to have a track from one of our artists, Sexyy Red, debut at No. 1 on the inaugural TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart — a chart which I believe will have an industry-wide importance alongside the Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts. And to have four tracks in the top 50 on this new chart is something to marvel at as well.

“As a company that supports, nurtures and powers independent artists and creators, we believe that this is an incredible precursor for what’s to come in this era of independent business thought leaders such as Stan and Jay of [Sexyy Red’s label] Open Shift, and fiercely independent artists such as Sexyy Red, who are tackling the new modem music business with a sense of bravery and adventurousness that doesn’t subscribe to the norm or the conventionality of how it’s been done.”

TikTok users can find the new chart by pressing the round icon on the bottom corner of the screen in the TikTok app and tapping the “Music Charts” button in the top right. The chart can also be found on Billboard.com, updated weekly each Thursday.

Don Omar and Chencho Corleone each add a new No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, as “Podemos Repetirlo” surges 12-1 to rule the Sept. 16-dated ranking.

“It’s the music my fans want me to make, and that’s what I’ll do from now on, to please them,” Don Omar tells Billboard.

“Podemos Repetirlo” was released May 28 via Unisono/Saban. Strong airplay across Latin stations powers the collab to the summit on the overall Latin Airplay tally in its 13th week. According to Luminate, “Podemos” registered 9.7 million in audience impressions, up 60% from the week prior, earned in the U.S. during the Sept. 1-7 tracking week. The Greatest Gainer honoree of the week includes Houston’s KAMA; San Jose, Calif’s KVVF; and San Juan, Puerto Rico’s WQBS as its biggest supporters.

“’Podemos Repetirlo’s’ stickiness at radio is undeniable, congratulations to Don and the Saban Music Latin team on another chart topper,” added Gustavo Lopez, CEO of Saban Music Latin.

With “Podemos,” Don Omar adds his 12th No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He first reigned with “Angelito” for one week in July 2006 and notched eight other champs in the ‘10s, including “Danza Kuduro,” with Lucenzo, his longest-leading ruler: 15 weeks in charge in 2010.

“Podemos” arrives a year after Don Omar’s last No. 1 on the ranking, as he spent one week in charge also through a collab: “Soy Yo,” with Wisin and Gente de Zona, crowned the July 16, 2022-dated list.

Chencho, meanwhile, captures his third ruler. He notched his first and second leaders with “Desesperados,” with Rauw Alejandro, and “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, in July 2022 and August 2022, respectively.

In addition to its lead on Latin Airplay, “Podemos” concurrently commands Latin Rhythm Airplay with a 7-1 climb. On the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, both acts score their best ranking in over a year, as the song ascends 39-32.

Karol G Nabs 18th top 10 with two new entries: Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, Karol G achieves a dual top 10 win as “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” flies 16-3, while “Amargura” jumps 11-9.

“Mi Ex” leads the double top 10 rise with a 37% gain in audience, to 7.67 million earned, during the same period. “Amargura” improves with a 4% gain, to 6.41 million.

With the new top 10s, Karol picks up her 18th top 10, still the second-most among women, after Shakira’s lofty 37 top 10s, the most for any female act and the fifth-most overall.

On Wednesday (Sept. 13), Rita Ora was announced as the next judge on The Masked Singer, joining the panel for the show’s 11th season, filling in for Nicole Scherzinger.

“We’re grateful to have the amazing @ritaora shine her light and join us as a panelist on #TheMaskedSinger Season 11!” the show shared on Instagram. Fox TV’s Instagram account replied, “Can’t wait for my girl, Rita Ora!”

The 32-year-old “I Will Never Let You Down” singer took to her Instagram Story to share her excitement, writing, “So happy the secret is finally out. I’m joining the @maskedsingerfox US! Can’t wait to try and guess who’s behind the mask with the other panelists.”

The news of Ora’s placement on the show comes amid original judge Nicole Scherzinger joining the cast of Sunset Boulevard on London’s West End. The show, presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber, opens Sept. 20 at the Savoy Theatre in London and runs through Jan. 4, 2024, so Ora will fill in for Scherzinger while she’s overseas.

“In 20 days I’ll be taking the stage as Norma Desmond alongside an incredible cast of talented humans!” The Pussycat Dolls frontwoman shared via Instagram, captioning a series of of pictures from rehearsals. Scherzinger first announced she nailed the leading role in a May 19 Instagram post.

Serving as a panelist on a reality competition won’t be new for Ora: She previously sat on the judges panel for The Masked Singer UK for four seasons, and her other credits include The Voice: Australia, The X Factor UK and America’s Next Top Model.

Season 10 of The Masked Singer — with the O.G. judging panel of Scherzinger, Robin Thicke, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy, alongside host Nick Cannon — premieres Sept. 27 on Fox, after a kick-off episode this past weekend unmasked Demi Lovato as Anonymouse.

See Ora’s casting announcement below.