In early April, country star Maren Morris released her children’s book Addie Ant Goes on an Adventure, in collaboration with former schoolteacher Karina Argow. According to the interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, they have known each other for about 11 years. This long-lasting friendship evolved into a collaborative partnership. Explore Explore See latest videos, […]

With their latest song “Orange,” SPYAIR has entered a new phase of their musical career. They managed to overcome what could be a fatal blow to most bands — the loss of their vocalist — by launching their YouTube channel “SPYAIR, Looking for a Vocalist” and their vocal audition titled “You’re SPYAIR! Hey Hey Speak Up, Anyone Want to Be Our Vocalist?” They turned this crisis into a new page in the band’s history, written together with their fans, and in April 2023 they relaunched themselves as a new four-member incarnation of SPYAIR with YOSUKE on vocals. “Orange” is the theme song of Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle, which opened in Japanese theaters on Feb. 16. Not only is it the theme song of a popular anime film, but the band’s previous songs “Imagination,” “I’m a Believer” and “One Day” have also been used as Haikyuu!! theme songs, so “Orange” is a reunion between the band and the anime. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Orange” has an emotional backstory, but it’s also making its mark on the music charts. On the Billboard Japan Hot 100 songs chart, it debuted at No. 19 on the Feb. 21-dated chart, the first tracking week after the song’s release. A week later, on the Feb. 28-dated chart, it climbed to its highest position of No. 8, becoming the new SPYAIR’s biggest hit. It’s a truly iconic song for the band. Trending on Billboard That’s not the only reason “Orange” is going to be leading SPYAIR into a new phase of its history. Looking carefully at a breakdown of the points used to calculate the song’s Billboard Japan Hot 100 ranking, it’s apparent that the source of almost all of its points — that is, the way people are listening to it the most — is streaming. The Billboard Japan Hot 100 is currently based on six metrics: CD sales, downloads, streaming, radio, video views, and karaoke. Since the song’s debut on the chart, streaming already accounts for more than 70%. Looking at the streaming metric scores for “Orange,” it’s kept up a steady level of streaming even after it peaked on the Feb. 28 chart, earning roughly the same amount of points each week. This steady streaming performance is key. All the long-running hits on the charts are songs with consistently high streaming numbers. One example of a song that has kept a top position on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for weeks is Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” It has held the No. 1 spot on the chart for 12 consecutive weeks so far (from the Jan. 31 to the April 17 chart), and it’s still going. Another is Ado’s “Show,” which kept dropping from No. 1 and bouncing right back, for a total of 13 weeks at the top. Yet another is YOASOBI’s “Idol,” which holds the chart record of 21 consecutive weeks at No. 1 (from April 19 to Sept. 6, 2023). The list goes on. One thing all of these songs has in common is that they all accumulated points on the karaoke and the UGC metrics. (UGC = User Generated Content. For the Billboard Japan charts, this consists of plays of derivative videos on YouTube.) Karaoke and derivative works are active ways for fans to enjoy songs, and they spread awareness of songs to people who had otherwise not heard them before. When people are exposed to these songs and take a liking to them, they listen to them on streaming services, growing the song’s fan base.  Looking at the metrics for “Orange” from that perspective, we see that the karaoke metric score has been rising week-on-week, finally hitting the top 100 in the April 3 chart. Although it seems the UGC metric has peaked, the song is managing to keep its UGC numbers high, just like it’s keeping up strong streaming numbers. From these two facts, we can see that “Orange” isn’t just a hit among past SPYAIR fans, but that it’s also being welcomed by people unfamiliar with SPYAIR’s previous work. On the comprehensive Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart (Billboard Japan counts the eponymously titled Orange EP as an album), Orange rose up in the CD sales metric in the fourth week after its release (on the March 13, 2024 dated chart). The fact that the drop-off in sales has been so gradual is yet further evidence that the band is reaching new fans.  For artists like SPYAIR who have been active before music streaming services became widespread in Japan, CD sales and downloads remain key metrics that play important roles in determining their ranking positions. SPYAIR’s best-charting song on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 has been “Imagination,” which came in at No. 3 on the May 7, 2014 dated chart, followed by “I’m a Believer,” which placed at No. 5 on the chart dated October 28, 2015. Streaming numbers were sluggish not only for these two songs, which came out before streaming was mainstream, but also for more recent songs like “One Day,” the ending theme to Haikyuu!! ~TO THE TOP, season four of the TV anime (the single began streaming on October 3, 2020, and was included in a limited-run CD released on November 11) and their previous song, “RE-BIRTH” (released on July 7, 2023). For all of these songs, ranking positions were correlated with shifts in CD sales and downloads. The situation with “Orange” is totally different. In other words, SPYAIR has finally begun enjoying streaming support and attracting new listeners, which has created the possibility that “Orange” will become a song with long chart staying power. This streaming support also has the potential to make “Orange” not just a long-running hit in Japan, but also a global hit. Songs with strong streaming (and karaoke) support, like “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” “Show,” and “Idol,” became global hits almost simultaneously with blowing up in Japan. Of course, there were other factors involved, like dances or short videos, but one key factor was getting included in playlists on streaming platforms. It’s clear that this drew even greater attention to them and exposed even more people to these songs. On Billboard Japan’s Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan, a global chart that ranks hit Japanese songs in over 200 countries and regions excluding Japan, “Orange” peaked at No. 57 (on the March 7, 2024 dated chart). In the Japan Songs (by Country) chart, which adjusts the data from the Global Japan Songs Excl. Japan chart by weighting it on a per-country basis, “Orange” has entered the top 20 in Korea (reaching No. 18 on the chart dated  March 7, 2024). SPYAIR is gradually developing more widespread recognition, especially in Korea. There’s no way to talk about SPYAIR without talking about the staunch support they enjoy in Korea. In 2011, when it was comparatively rare for Japanese artists to gain recognition overseas, SPYAIR performed at Korea’s Jisan Valley Rock Festival 2011. In the same year, they released their first album in both Japan and Korea, and they performed on the music TV show M Countdown roughly 12 years before YOASOBI. Since then, they’ve played at several local festivals and sold out their 2DAYS solo show. Through the years, they’ve steadily built up a Korean fan base. Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle will be released in theaters overseas in May, and global interest in “Orange” is certain to rise. Given that, the existence of a fandom outside Japan will serve as a tremendous advantage in the band’s overseas expansion. SPYAIR performed at the Sakura-Con anime convention held in Seattle from March 29 to 31, and in May it’s planning an Asian tour that will take it to Seoul, Taipei, and Shanghai. Keep a close eye on the new SPYAIR and watch as it takes wing not only in Japan but also throughout Asia and the rest of the world. —This article by Maiko Murata first appeared on Billboard Japan

TikTok announced “the ultimate Taylor Swift in-app experience” on Friday (April 19), a way to “connect Swifties with exclusive and first-of-its-kind features.” TikTok is certainly not the only platform to join with Swift in her promoting her new release, The Tortured Poets Department. Many iHeartRadio stations played the whole album the moment it came out (plus a song from it at the top of every hour), for example, while Spotify launched a three-day “library-themed art installation” to celebrate the album in Los Angeles. What’s different about TikTok’s announcement: The platform is embroiled in an ongoing licensing dispute with Universal Music Group, Swift’s distribution partner. Because the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement, official recordings from UMG’s artists have (mostly) been removed from TikTok. Swift’s music was absent for a time, but a large chunk of it reappeared on the platform last week. Trending on Billboard Now, not only is the superstar able to circumvent UMG’s TikTok embargo, she is also getting additional promotional help from the platform. “With multiple first-of-its-kind features, fans can dive into the album with playlists to create with, as well as challenges to unlock exclusive artwork for their profiles, and the opportunity to be featured in a Fan Spotlight carousel,” TikTok’s announcement notes. This is all but guaranteed to make some UMG artists — those who have developed devoted TikTok followings, or had success marketing music on the platform in the past — jealous. “TikTok is mostly used as a new-music discovery tool — discover a clip on TikTok, listen to it on a DSP,” a music lawyer told Billboard last week. “So those who are trying to get their music discovered are the most concerned” about being unable to promote new songs on the app. Due to that concern, some artists with viral hits are trying to come up with workarounds to allow their songs to remain on TikTok. Swift’s TikTok partnership, despite the UMG ban, was a display of her power in the music business, as an artist who moves as many units in a year as some entire label divisions. There had been significant speculation about what her return to the service meant — whether it implied a carve out in her contract allowing her to do a direct deal with the social platform, or whether her original contract had always contained such a provision. With today’s news, some of the parameters of that agreement have come more into focus, in terms of the promotion and marketing push that TikTok is providing for the new album.

Billboard and Billboard Korea have joined forces with CJ ENM to expand the global influence of the K-pop industry. The entertainment company behind KCON and MAMA AWARDS has inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Billboard and Billboard Korea, ahead of the first Billboard Korea print issue mid-year. Harry H.K. Shin, Head of Music Entertainment […]

The nominations for the 2024 Daytime Emmys were announced on Friday (April 19). The Kelly Clarkson Show is out to defend its title as outstanding daytime talk series against four challengers – The Jennifer Hudson Show (which was also nominated in the category last year), Tamron Hall, The View and Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts. Kelly Clarkson is also defending her title as outstanding daytime talk series host. Clarkson is squaring off against Tamron Hall (who was also nominated in the category last year), the hosts of The View and The Talk, and Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa from Live with Kelly and Mark. Ripa was nominated in this category last year with her former co-host, Ryan Seacrest. Consuelos, to whom Ripa is married, took Seacrest’s place on the show when the Busiest Man in Show Business decided to be just a little less busy. Jennifer Hudson and Robin Roberts weren’t nominated in this category this year. Clarkson has won seven Daytime Emmys over the first four seasons of her popular talk show. Hudson has yet to win a Daytime Emmy for her talk show, though she did win one in 2021 for outstanding interactive media for a daytime program for Baba Yaga – on her way to becoming an EGOT. Trending on Billboard Drew Barrymore, who was nominated for both outstanding daytime talk series and outstanding daytime talk series host last year with The Drew Barrymore Show, wasn’t nominated in either category this year. Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays (Food Network), hosted by Selena Gomez, is nominated for outstanding culinary series. It is competing with series headlined by such celebs as Ina Garten, Valerie Bertinelli and Zooey Deschanel. TV legend Dick Van Dyke, 98, is nominated for guest performance in a daytime drama series for his appearance on Days of our Lives on Peacock. If it doesn’t seem like a full year has gone by since the last Daytime Emmys, you’re on to something. The 2023 Daytime Emmys were held on Dec. 15. They had been delayed six full months because of last year’s strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. The 51st Daytime Emmy Awards telecast will be presented live on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET (delayed PT) on CBS, and will available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. This will mark the 18th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmys, which is more than any other network. The Daytime Creative Arts & Lifestyle Emmy Awards will be presented the following night. It will stream live at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Saturday, June 8, at watch.TheEmmys.tv and via The Emmys apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV, and Roku. Both ceremonies will take place at the Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles. Ticket sales will begin Wednesday, May 1. Lifetime achievement honorees, hosts, presenters, and silver and gold circle honorees will be announced at a later date. The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI). Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI. The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974. In 2021, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime. Here are the 2024 Daytime Emmy nominations in selected categories. Outstanding Daytime Talk Series The Jennifer Hudson Show, Syndicated The Kelly Clarkson Show, Syndicated Tamron Hall, Syndicated Turning The Tables with Robin Roberts, Disney+ The View, ABC Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, The View, ABC Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Syndicated Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa, Live with Kelly and Mark, Syndicated Akbar Gbajabiamila, Amanda Kloots, Natalie Morales, Jerry O’Connell, Sheryl Underwood, The Talk, CBS Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall, Syndicated Outstanding Music Direction and Composition African Queens: Njinga, Netflix Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, Netflix Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, NBC Mysteries of the Faith, Netflix Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, Netflix Outstanding Original Song “Shine,” General Hospital, ABC “Unexpected Truth,” Unexpected, Hulu “We’re Home,” Reconnecting Roots, PBS Outstanding Entertainment News Series Access Hollywood, Syndicated Entertainment Tonight, Syndicated Extra, Syndicated Outstanding Culinary Series Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network Family Dinner, Magnolia Network Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays, Food Network Valerie’s Home Cooking, Food Network What Am I Eating? with Zooey Deschanel, Max Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program Billion Dollar Babies: The True Story of the Cabbage Patch Kids, Vimeo King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, Netflix Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter, SundanceTV Oprah and “The Color Purple” Journey, Max Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, PBS Working in the Theatre, AmericanTheatreWing.org Outstanding Daytime Special Culture Quest: Ukraine, PBS Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade, ABC 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC Recipe for Change: Celebrating Black Men, SpringHill Unexpected, Hulu Outstanding Short Form Program Catalyst, LinkedIn News The Dads, Netflix Hollywood Atelier: Rob Pickens, The Hollywood Reporter How Una Pizza Napoletana Became the No.1 Ranked Pizza in the World, Eater Temple of Film: 100 Years of the Egyptian Theatre, Netflix Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily Frank Caprio, Caught in Providence, Facebook Watch Kevin Frazier, Nischelle Turner, Matt Cohen, Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Will Marfuggi, Rachel Smith, Entertainment Tonight, Syndicated Deborah Norville, Steven Fabian, Lisa Guerrero, Ann Mercogliano, Jim Moret, Les Trent, Inside Edition, Syndicated Robert Hernandez, Star Jones, Divorce Court, FOX Judge Judy Sheindlin, Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose, Judy Justice, Amazon Freevee Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily Samantha Brown, Samantha Brown’s Places To Love, PBS Derrick Campana, The Wizard of Paws, BYUtv Christian Cooper, Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper, National Geographic Zoë François, Andrew Zimmern, Holiday Party with Andrew & Zoë, Magnolia Network Jet Tila, Ready Jet Cook, Food Network