Ariana Grande Is Billboard's 2018 Woman of the Year
The singer will be honored at the Billboard Women in Music dinner and awards gala in New York on Dec. 6.
After an incredibly successful year and on the heels of her Billboard 200 chart-topping fourth album Sweetener, Ariana Grande has been named Billboard’s 2018 Woman of the Year.
The superstar singer, songwriter, actress and activist will be presented with the award Dec. 6 at the 13th annual Women in Music dinner and awards gala in New York. Grande joins a history of icons who have been previously honored as Woman of the Year, including Selena Gomez, Madonna, Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift.
“Ariana Grande is a star on her own terms, never bending to any particular musical trend or path in the industry,” says Ross Scarano, Billboard’s vp of content. “Certain in her convictions, she consistently stands up for herself and her decisions in a world that often isn’t hospitable to that sort of strength in young women. She’s got guts, she’s making some of the best music of her career, and she’s absolutely deserving of Woman of the Year.”
Over the course of her career, Grande has claimed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart three times. Her latest chart-topper was August's Sweetener, home to the hits "No Tears Left to Cry" and "God Is a Woman" and scoring the largest streaming week ever for a pop album by a female artist upon its release.
Beyond music, Grande uses her platform and strength to support causes she believes in. She took part in March for Our Lives earlier this year in support of smarter gun control laws and is constantly advocating for mental health awareness, gender equality, LGBTQ rights and Black Lives Matter on her social media accounts. Following the tragic Manchester Arena bombing outside her concert last year, the songstress helped organize the One Love Manchester benefit concert, which raised more than $23 million to aid victims and their families.
The Women in Music event and red-carpet pre-show will broadcast live on Dec. 6 via Twitter from 7:00 to 10 p.m. ET. Sponsors include American Airlines, Honda Stage and Nielsen Music. Source: BillBoard
2016-10-20
Bruno Mars to Open 2016 American Music Awards
Bruno Mars will open the 2016 American Music Awards show, marking his first performance on the AMA stage. Mars, who won the Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist award in 2011, has scored seven AMA nominations in the past. The singer/songwriter/producer has just scored his latest hit with "24K Magic," which debuted at NO. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, earning Mars his highest debut to date.
The 2015 American Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Drake broke a 32-year record for the most AMA nominations with 13 nods, beating Michael Jackson's previous high mark of 11 from 1984. The "Hotline Bling" rapper leads all 2016 American Music Awards nominees with nods in categories including Artist of the Year, Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Album, Favorite Rap Artist, Favorite Rap Song and Favorite R&B song, among others. If he wins in any of the categories it will make his first AMA win.
Rihanna is just behind Drizzy with seven nominations, with Adele and Justin Bieber picking up five nominations each, followed by four nods each for Beyonce and The Chainsmokers and three forBryson Tiller, Twenty One Pilots, Carrie Underwood, Fetty Wap and The Weeknd.
Drake will go up against Adele, Beyoncé, Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, Underwood and The Weeknd for Artist of the Year; the 10 nominees will be narrowed to five based on the votes received through Monday, November 14 at 8:59 a.m. PT. Voting for Artist of the Year will close on Thursday, November 17 at 8:59 p.m. PT.
The winner will be determined by the total votes received throughout the entire voting period. If Bieber wins the award he will tie current record hold Taylor Swift for the most wins (3). With eight past wins and this year's five nominations, Bieber needs just one win to become one of the top 10 AMA winners of all time.
Fans can vote for all category once per day, per platform in one or both of the below ways. For New Artist of the Year Un-leashed by T-Mobile, fans can vote 100 times per day, per platform at AMAvote.com or by posting a tweet that includes the nominee's Twitter handle, the category name and #AMAs within the post(s). The 2016 American Music Awards is produced by dick clark productions. Allen Shapiro and Mike Mahan are executive producers. Larry Klein, Barry Adelman and Mark Bracco are producers.
Kings of Leon Bring a Soulful Sensuality Covering Selena Gomez's "Hands to Myself"
Kings Of Leon are supporting their seventh studio album WALLS that was released last week and on Wednesday (Oct. 19) visited the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge for a performance that included a steamy cover of Selena Gomez's "Hands to Myself."
The set comes about three years since their last visit to the Live Lounge, when they notably reimagined Robyn's "Dancing On My Own." Adding this pop track to their repertoire, it seems the Followills have a type, putting a similar mellow ans forlorn vibe onto the track, lending a bit of subtle "Sex on Fire" sensuality.
Pop covers are a popular feature of the Live Lounge performances with Gallant covering The Chainsmokers, James Bay covering Coldplay, Fifth Harmony covering Elle King and much more over this past year.
Watch the performance:
Source: BillBoard
2016-08-31
Selena Gomez Taking Time Off for Lupus-Caused "Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Depression"
Selena Gomez is taking some time off to address her health, she announced Tuesday (Aug. 30), dealing with "anxiety, panic attacks and depression" as side effects to her battle with lupus.
"As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," the 24-year-old singer and actor told People. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges."
"I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues," she continued.
Last year, Gomez revealed her struggle with lupus to Billboard. The illness put her in rehab with chemotherapy treatment and caused her to cancel the end of her her Stars Dance Tour in 2013. As rumors arose speculating drug use, she said, "I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I'm in chemotherapy. You're assholes,' But I was angry I even felt the need to say that. It's awful walking into a restaurant and having the whole room look at you, knowing what they're saying. I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again."
Gomez has tour dates planned for the remainder of the year. Billboard has reached out to her rep for comment, but did not hear back at time of publishing.
Watch Selena Gomez Surprise Australian Fan at Home
Selena Gomez is in Australia on her Revival Tour and took the opportunity to surprise one of her biggest fans.
The pop star teamed with local radio station KIIS 1065 to pull a fast one on 22-year-old Sophie Saunders.
While Saunders recorded a video for the radio station, singing Gomez's new song "Kill Em With Kindness," Gomez sneaks into Saunders' house and enters her room. She reveals herself on Saunder's camera screen, with the whole moment caught on video.
It was all enough to move Saunders -- who has traveled overseas to see Gomez in concert -- to tears.
Watch it here:
Source: BillBoard
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