Yet another busy week in the music world! We saw new releases from tons of superstars, the biggest award shows in country and Latin, and a couple of highly-anticipated tour announcements.
On top of all of that, BLACKPINK made more K-pop history, Alicia Keys and Ciara were revealed as hosts for the Grammys and the American Music Awards (respectively), and John Legend was named People‘s latest Sexiest Man Alive.
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Before we give too much away, take a look at some of the biggest music moments of the week below.
Lewis Capaldi reclaimed his Hot 100 throne
Two weeks after Capaldi’s breakout hit “Someone You Loved” reached the summit of the Hot 100, he returned to the top spot for the Nov. 16 chart after a temporary drop to No. 2 after Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me” took over. Also making moves is Maroon 5’s “Memories,” which ascended to No. 9 this week, marking the group’s 15th Hot 100 top 10.
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Drake poked fun at his Camp Flog Gnaw cameo gone wrong
When Drake showed up as a surprise headliner during Tyler, the Creator’s set at Camp Flog Naw on Sunday night (Nov. 10), he was promptly booed off stage. Though the appearance didn’t quite go as planned, Drake didn’t seem phased the next day: “Just signed a 10 year residency at Camp Flog Gnaw sorry kids see you EVERY SINGLE YEAR till you are 30,” the rapper captioned photos of him at the festival on Instagram on Monday (Nov. 11). Nothing like brushing off an embarrassing moment with a little humor, right?
BLACKPINK made history
On Monday, BLACKPINK became the first-ever K-pop group to reach 1 billion views on YouTube with their music video for “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du.” The girl group was quick to celebrate their feat for the video — which was released in June 2018 — on Twitter. “BLINKs worldwide, thank you so much!” the girls wrote.
Black Crowes announced a reunion
The brother war is over, folks. Sibling duo The Black Crowes confirmed that they are reuniting for a tour in 2020, which they revealed on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show. Singer Chris Robinson also detailed how his depression and marriage troubles were some of the bigger reasons for The Black Crowes’ hiatus, but it seems the two have made amends and are ready to get back to playing music together.
John Legend was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive (and Chrissy Teigen was thrilled)
The Voice coach earned People’s coveted honor of handsomeness this year, which he admitted was “a lot of pressure” mostly because of the past recipients of Sexiest Man Alive from David Beckham to 2018’s pick Idris Elba. But while Legend may have been humble about his new title, his wife, Chrissy Teigen, was beyond happy about it. “I have fulfilled my dream of having boned @people’s sexiest man alive!!” she tweeted along with Legend’s dapper cover on Tuesday (Nov. 12).
Taylor Swift dropped a surprise “Lover” remix with Shawn Mendes
How do you make a Taylor Swift bigger? Add Shawn Mendes. That’s exactly what Swift did for her latest single, “Lover,” and she unexpectedly unveiled the new remix on Wednesday (Nov. 13). In addition to making the dainty love song a female and male call-and-response narrative, the new version of “Lover” features some new lyrics. You can check out all of the changes here, and listen to the track below.
Harry Styles announced his 2020 tour dates
If you thought Harry Styles’ forthcoming sophomore album Fine Line meant that he’s going on tour in 2020, you were most certainly right. On Wednesday, the “Lights Up” singer revealed his tour plans for both Europe and North America, starting in Birmingham, United Kingdom on April 15 and closing in Mexico City on Oct. 3. Fans in the U.S. and Canada can register for tickets through Ticketmasters’s Verified Fan program here.
Camila Cabello revealed her Romance album release date
As if there aren’t enough things to be excited about before the end of the year, Camila Cabello is swooping in with the delivery of her sophomore album: The “Liar” singer announced that Romance will arrive on Dec. 6. Along with her album announcement, Cabello unveiled plans for a North American tour in 2020, which will kick off in July in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Female country stars were spotlighted at the CMA Awards
With three powerhouse females serving as the hosts of this year’s CMA Awards (Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and returning emcee Carrie Underwood), it was clear women were going to be a big focus at the 2019 ceremony. That was proven true in a major way Wednesday night, as the show started out with a massive medley that paid tribute to some of country’s biggest female hits and featured several other dynamic performances from Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris — the latter of whom took home the coveted album of the year honor.
Paul McCartney discussed the legacy of The Beatles, Billboard’s No. 1 chart artist of all time
In honor of Billboard‘s 125th anniversary, a list of the top 125 artists of all time according to the Billboard charts was revealed in the latest issue on Thursday (Nov. 14). Unsurprisingly, The Beatles topped the list, and Billboard talked with Paul McCartney (who is also No. 12 on the list on his own) about what it meant to hit No. 1 with The Beatles and solo, working with Kanye West, and his empire that is MPL Communications. Check out the full interview here, and the full list of Billboard‘s 125 Greatest Artists of All Time here.
Alicia Keys and Ciara were announced as Grammys and AMAs hosts, respectively
Two badass women will be playing emcee at two of music’s biggest events in the next few months! Late Wednesday (Nov. 13), Alicia Keys was revealed as the host for the 2020 Grammy Awards, which will mark her second year in a row for the gig. Then hours later on Thursday morning (Nov. 14), Ciara was announced as the host for this year’s American Music Awards, marking her first time in the role. The Grammys will air on Feb. 10, 2020, and the AMAs will take place on Nov. 24.
Rosalía and Alejandro Sanz proved victorious at the 2019 Latin Grammys
The Latin breakout star and veteran each took home three awards on Thursday night, including two of the biggest honors: Rosalía won album of the year for El Mal Querer, and Sanz was awarded record of the year for his Camila Cabello collaboration “Mi Persona Favorita.” Pedro Capó was also a big winner, as his hit” Calma” won song of the year. Others shined thanks to their performances, including Ozuna, Bad Bunny, Juanes and the Fernandez family. Check out a full recap here.
The stars came out to play on New Music Friday
Heavy hitters in just about every genre released a new tune this week, from Taylor Swift’s CATS track “Beautiful Ghosts” to J Balvin‘s new single (and wild video) “Blanco.” New tunes also arrived from Khalid, Billie Eilish and Camila Cabello; and full albums from powerhouse Celine Dion, country hitmakers Lady Antebellum and even the late Lil Peep also all dropped on Friday (Nov. 15). Needless to say, there’s a lot of music to dive into — see Billboard‘s full rundown here!