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Brandi Carlile is the first female songwriter to land two Grammy nods for song of the year in the same year. She is nominated for her own track “Right on Time” and for “A Beautiful Noise,” which she recorded with Alicia Keys. Carlile and Keys co-wrote the latter song with six other female writers.
Carlile is one of two songwriters with two song of the year nods this year. Dernst Emile II, better known as D’Mile, also has double nods for H.E.R.’s “Fight for You” and Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.”
The double nods for Carlile were made possible by the Recording Academy’s expansion of the number of nominees in each of the Big Four categories from eight to 10 this year. The Academy has confirmed that “Right on Time” is one of two songs that received a nomination as a result of that eleventh-hour decision. (The other was the Doja Cat/SZA gem “Kiss Me More.”)
This is the first time that any songwriter or songwriting team has had two song of the year nominations in the same year since 1994. It’s the first time that two separate songwriters have accomplished the feat in the same year since 1979, when, owing to ties, eight songs were nominated in the category.
Final round voting for the 64th annual Grammy Awards is underway. Voting members of the Recording Academy have until Wednesday, Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. PT to cast their ballots. The winners will be announced on the Grammy telecast on Jan. 31.
Here are all of the songwriters that have received two song of the year nominations in the same year. They are listed in reverse chronological order.
2021—Brandi Carlile: The singer/songwriter is nominated for her own track “Right on Time,” which she co-wrote with Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth, and for “A Beautiful Noise,” which she recorded with Alicia Keys and co-wrote with Keys, Ruby Amanfu, Brandy Clark, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry and Hailey Whitters.
2021—D’Mile: The songwriter has double nods for H.E.R.’s “Fight for You,” the Oscar-winning song which he co-wrote with H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, and Silk Sonic’s spot-on ’70s soul flashback “Leave the Door Open,” which he co-wrote with Christopher Brody Brown and the members of Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak.
1994—Elton John & Tim Rice: The pair were nominated for both “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life.” They wrote both songs for the box-office smash The Lion King. Bruce Springsteen won the song of the year Grammy for “Streets of Philadelphia.” Both “Streets” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” won Oscars for best original song, but due to different eligibility periods at the Oscars and the Grammys, they went head-to-head here. (John, a long-time AIDS activist, probably didn’t mind losing the Grammy to a song that expressed empathy and compassion for people with AIDS.)
1983—Michael Jackson: MJ was nominated for both “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.” Both classic singles from Thriller reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The double nods may have split his vote, allowing Sting to win for “Every Breath You Take.”
1979—Michael McDonald: The blue-eyed-soul master won for co-writing “What a Fool Believes” and was nominated for co-writing “Minute by Minute.” The Doobie Brothers, of which he was a member, popularized both songs. McDonald co-wrote the former with Kenny Loggins; the latter, the title song of the group’s then-current album, with Lester Abrams.
1979—Dino Fekaris & Freddie Perren: The pair was nominated for co-writing “I Will Survive,” the disco smash and instant anthem popularized by Gloria Gaynor, and “Reunited,” the tender ballad popularized by Peaches & Herb. Both singles reached No. 1 on the Hot 100. As noted above, “What a Fool Believes” won. Perren was the first Black songwriter to receive two song of the year nods in the same year. (Jackson and D’Mile were second and third, respectively.)
1971—Kris Kristofferson: The songwriter and future film star was nominated for the exquisite “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” popularized by Sammi Smith, and “Me and Bobby McGee,” popularized by Janis Joplin. Kristofferson teamed with Fred Foster to write the latter song. Carole King won for “You’ve Got a Friend.”
1969—Burt Bacharach & Hal David: The peerless pair were nominated for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” popularized by B.J. Thomas, and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” popularized by Dionne Warwick. They wrote the former song for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; the latter for the Broadway show Promises, Promises. Joe South won for “Games People Play.” It probably won because it was seen as “relevant,” a buzzword of the era.
1968—Bobby Russell: Russell won that year for the philosophical “Little Green Apples,” popularized by both O.C. Smith and Roger Miller. Russell was also nominated for the tearjerker “Honey,” popularized by Bobby Goldsboro.
1967—Jimmy Webb: The prodigy, then just 21, won for the effervescent “Up, Up and Away,” popularized by the Fifth Dimension. He was also nominated for the sublime “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” popularized by Glen Campbell.
1963—Johnny Mercer: Mercer won that year for the melancholy “Days of Wine and Roses,” which he co-wrote with Henry Mancini. Mercer had a second nomination with “I Wanna Be Around,” which he co-wrote with Sadie Vimmerstedt. Andy Williams helped popularize the former; Tony Bennett popularized the latter.
Zac Brown Band, Sam Hunt and Elle King are no longer set to perform at Friday evening’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash in downtown Nashville, according to an announcement from the city.
Zac Brown Band’s frontman issued a statement on the band’s Twitter account Thursday (Dec. 30) saying that he had tested positive for COVID-19. “To Our Fans, We are deeply disappointed to share that Zac Brown Band will no longer be performing at Nashville’s Big Bash tomorrow night on CBS. Despite taking precautions, I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” the letter read. “While we were very excited to join the incredible line up of artists and millions of amazing fans tuning in to watch, our #1 priority is the safety and well-being of our fans, band, crew and venue staff. We’re looking forward to great things ahead and seeing you all on our tour next year. We wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy 2022! [Love] Zac.”
— Zac Brown Band (@zacbrownband) December 30, 2021
Country trio Lady A will now be joining previously announced performer Dierks Bentley on the Bicentennial Capitol Mall main stage, with other performers in the previously announced lineup — including Ingrid Andress and Breland — stepping in to provide additional music. The show will be hosted by radio and television personality Bobby Bones and co-hosted by Entertainment Tonight‘s Rachel Smith.
A second stage, located at the rooftop bar and entertainment venue Skydeck on Broadway at Assembly Food Hall, features a ticketed event for Dec. 31, with performances from Riley Green, Chris Janson, Jon Pardi and Carly Pearce. The concert is free and open to the public.
Gates for the show at Bicentennial Capitol Mall will open at 4:30 p.m. CT, with a performance from The Fisk Jubilee Singers beginning at 6 p.m. CT. COVID-19 protocols for the event in downtown Nashville were also recently updated, with attendees being required to show either proof of a negative COVID-19 test (dated either Dec. 30 or Dec. 31), or proof of a COVID-19 vaccination.
Jack Daniel’s New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will run until 12:30 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 31 and will air on CBS Television Network. The live show will also be available to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+. The five-hour television celebration will feature nearly 50 performances from locations throughout downtown Nashville, including acts from Lower Broadway’s honky-tonks, bars and clubs. The five-hour broadcast will cross multiple time zones, with a countdown at midnight Eastern Time, concluding with the Nashville music note drop and a fireworks display at midnight CT.
The five-hour CBS show will also include performances from artists including Jason Aldean, Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Gabby Barrett, Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Darius Rucker, Blake Shelton and more, though several were pre-taped and some performances are not open to the public.
American Idol returns on Feb. 27, marking its 20th season overall and fifth season on ABC. Ahead of the milestone year, a promo for Idol‘s new season will air during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022 on ABC, and Billboard has an exclusive preview of the clip.
The 90-second video finds Idol judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, as well as host Ryan Seacrest, imagining what life would be like had they never been discovered. Richie’s alternate career in sculpting is suspiciously reminiscent of the video for his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Hello,” while Perry’s mirror universe job involves her selling the explosive namesake of one of her Hot 100 toppers. Bryan’s non-musical gig involves tending bar while serving up some of the lyrics to his 2020 single and Country Airplay No. 1 “One Margarita,” and as for Seacrest, well, if Idol hadn’t come along, he would apparently be bringing his signature energy to a bar mitzvah near you.
“We were all given our shot — now let’s give it to someone else,” Seacrest concludes at the end of the clip. “Yeah, let’s go discover the next American Idol,” Perry agrees.
The promo, which you can check out below, will air during New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, which begins on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 31.
Normani achieves her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Wild Side,” featuring Cardi B, ascends from the runner-up spot to lead the list dated Jan. 1. The single climbs despite a 2% drop in plays in the week ending Dec. 26 to become the most played song on U.S. monitored mainstream-centered R&B/hip-hop radio stations, according to MRC Data. (The previous week’s No. 1, Drake’s “Girls Want Girls,” featuring Lil Baby, falls to No. 2 with a 7% decline in plays.)
Notably, “Wild Side” completes its slow-but-steady trek to No. 1 in its 22nd week on the chart, tying for the fifth-longest march to the top slot since the chart began in 1992. Here’s a look at the tracks with the most weeks to No. 1:
Weeks to No. 1, Song Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
25, “Before You Walk Out My Life,” Monica, Jan. 13, 1996
24, “Planez,” Jeremih featuring J. Cole, Sept. 12, 2015
23, “Location,” Khalid, May 13, 2017
23, “Crew,” GoldLink featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy, Nov. 18, 2017
22, “Oui,” Jeremih, May 14, 2016
22, “Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, Jan. 1, 2022
While “Wild Side” is Normani’s first champ on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, it gives her a third radio chart No. 1 of her solo career, after two previous successes in the pop sphere. “Love Lies,” her debut with Khalid, topped the Pop Airplay chart for two weeks in 2018, while “Dancing With a Stranger,” a collaboration with Sam Smith, led the Adult Pop Airplay list for one week the following year.
For Cardi B, “Wild Side” is the rapper’s ninth No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. As the new champ joins the ranks, here’s a rundown of Cardi B’s chart-toppers on the radio ranking:
Song Title, Artist (if other than Cardi B), Weeks at No. 1, Date Reached No. 1
“Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” nine, Sept. 16, 2017
“No Limit,” G-Eazy featuring A$AP Rocky & Cardi B, five, Dec. 9, 2017
“I Like It,” with Bad Bunny & J Balvin, one, July 28, 2018
“Ring,” featuring Kehlani, one, Nov. 17, 2018
“Money,” five, Feb. 2, 2019
“Backin’ It Up,” Pardison Fontaine featuring Cardi B, one, March 9, 2019
“Please Me,” with Bruno Mars, six, April 13, 2019
“Up,” one, March 27, 2021
“Wild Side,” Normani featuring Cardi B, one (to date), Jan. 1, 2022
In line with its journey on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, “Wild Side” also hits a longevity mark on Rhythmic Airplay, where it wraps the second-longest wait to the chart’s top 10. The single advances 11-10 in its 23rd week, trailing only the 25-week wait of Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)” to reach the Rhythmic Airplay top 10 since the list began in 1993, though the latter required two separate chart runs before its top 10 appearance.
Among female artists, “Wild Side” outdoes previous record holder Christina Milian’s “Dip It Low,” which needed 21 weeks to reach the top 10 in 2004.
The “Wild Side” wait aligns with the song’s second wind on Rhythmic Airplay. The track debuted on the radio ranking on July 31 and climbed to a No. 20 peak by mid-September before it retreated as low as No. 33 on the 40-position chart. Amid renewed acceptance with R&B/hip-hop audiences and increased promotion, “Wild Side” has rallied at rhythmic radio to its new levels of success.
Elsewhere, “Wild Side” rebounds 5-4 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay despite a 1% drop to 15.3 million in audience in the week ending Dec. 26. The song previously reached a No. 3 best alongside a weekly audience peak of 18.7 million in the week ending Nov. 4.
Chance The Rapper lends a hand to Nelly‘s hip-hop-country crossover narrative with the rapper’s country-rock cover performance of “Hot in Herre.”
During a sneak peek of Jimmy Fallon’s new music and comedy variety game show series That’s My Jam on Thursday (Dec. 30), Chance pulled the lever and landed on the musical genre challenge, where the participant gets a song and completely different genre that they have to sing it in. When the screen selected “Hot in Herre” and “country-rock,” the Chicago MC took the mic and remixed the song with an extra twang (and fake Southern accent) that the Country Grammar star would certainly approve of.
Alessia Cara, who was partnered with Josh Groban in the competition series, bopped her head and clapped her hands to Chance’s performance while perched at the piano, while Chance’s partner Joseph Gordon-Levitt was left stunned at his seat.
“Never in my life did I think that was gonna work!” Fallon, who got up mid-performance to dance on stage, exclaimed after it was over.
“Hot in Herre” was released as the first single of Nelly’s sophomore album Nellyville in 2002. Written by Nelly and producers The Neptunes, the classic hip-hop track interpolates “Bustin’ Loose” by the Godfather of Go-Go Chuck Brown, which in and of itself proves how adaptable the song is to various genres. “Hot in Herre” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won the 2003 Grammy Award for best male rap solo performance.
“Country?” Groban questioned, puzzled. “It works!” Nelly’s country sensibilities have certainly worked for him in the past as well as the present. In August, he talked to Billboard about his eighth studio album Heartland, which he calls a “country-inspired” project and features a reunion with Florida Georgia Line as well as collaborations with Blanco Brown, Breland, Kane Brown and Darius Rucker. Heartland broke in the top 10 of Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart in September.
Watch Chance’s performance of “Hot in Herre” below before the full That’s My Jam episode airs on Monday, Jan. 3 on NBC at 9 p.m. ET.
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