Welcome to the new episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. In addition, you can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop.
Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard co-director of charts Keith Caulfield and Billboard deputy editor, digital Katie Atkinson every week on the Pop Shop Podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in iTunes. (Click here to listen to the previous Tuesday’s edition of the show on Billboard.com).
This week’s episode is our Grammy preview spectacular, starring five-time nominee Khalid! The 19-year-old R&B breakout star is heading to the Grammy Awards for the first time ever this Sunday, and was more than a little excited when he found out about his handful of nominations. “I woke up as early as I possibly could — it was like 5 o’clock. I couldn’t sleep,” he says about the day Grammy nominations were announced. “It was almost like it was Christmas Eve for me. I could not go to sleep. I woke up super early and I saw. I mean, I was hoping for one nomination, two nominations, but then I saw five. I was ecstatic. The first thing I did was call my mom. I had to tell her. It’s a feeling that I can’t even describe or can’t even re-create because there was so much excitement. It allowed me to just look back at how hard I worked and me being a little kid back then thinking about ‘This is all that I want’ — and it came true.”
The American Teen artist will also be performing at the show, hitting the stage alongside Logic and Alessia Cara for their top five Billboard Hot 100 hit “1-800-273-8255.” The trio will also be joined by suicide survivors and family members of suicide victims for a sure-to-be emotional highlight of the night. “To be up there and to be doing something so powerful and to be spreading the message of awareness about something that is so serious and that is not taken as seriously as it should be is amazing,” Khalid says. “It’s going to be a breathtaking performance.”
We also talk about Khalid’s upcoming tour (“I definitely have to bring ranch [dressing] over to Europe because I can never find any when I’m there”), his sophomore album plans (“I like the music to take me to a place of its own”), and how Grammy night could change his life. “If I go home with at least one award, my whole life is going to change. … I’m ready for it.”
In addition to our interview with Khalid, we also make our predictions (who will win and who should win) for the Big Four Grammy categories: album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist. Plus, we talk about what performances we’re looking forward to and who Keith can’t wait to catch up with on the red carpet.
Finally, we have chart chat about Camila Cabello‘s chart-topping week on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100, Dua Lipa‘s first top 10 Hot 100 hit, and Diana Ross‘ highest-charting album since the 1980s.
Listen above and click here to subscribe/rate the Pop Shop Podcast on iTunes.
