The Weeknd swept the 2021 Juno Awards, which honor the year’s best music by Canadian artists. This year’s Junos were presented over two nights, Friday June 4 and Sunday June 6. Both shows were virtual affairs, with Sunday’s show including eight performances and six award presentations.

The Weeknd won five awards — artist of the year, album of the year and contemporary R&B recording of the year (After Hours), single of the year (“Blinding Lights”) and songwriter of the year. The pop and R&B superstar swept these same five categories five years ago with his album Beauty Behind the Madness and single “Can’t Feel My Face.” Yet The Weeknd didn’t appear on the show, either to perform or accept an award.

Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber and JP Saxe were also big winners on Sunday’s telecast.

The Weeknd is the first artist to sweep the awards for artist, album, single and songwriter of the year twice. The Weeknd is the also first three-time winner for artist of the year, an award that originated in 2003. He previously won it in 2015 and 2016.

The Weeknd was famously shut out in the nominations for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards. He fared much better at the awards in his home country. The Weeknd was this year’s only multiple Juno winner out of 43 categories presented over the two nights. These five wins bring his career total of Juno Awards to 15, which puts him in sixth place on the all-time winners list behind Anne Murray (25), Bryan Adams (21), Céline Dion (20), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (18), and The Tragically Hip (17).

Mendes took the fan-voted fan choice award for the third time in the past five years. He previously won in 2017 and 2018. Only Bieber has won more times in that category (five). Michael Bublé and Avril Lavigne have also won it three times.

Bieber won pop album of the year for Changes. It’s his record-setting third win in that category, following My World 2.0 (2011) and Purpose (2016). Barenaked Ladies, Lavigne, Bublé, Lights and Alessia Cara have each won twice in that category. Changes was nominated for a Grammy this past year for best pop vocal album, but lost to Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia.

This brings Bieber’s collection of Junos to eight. Other 2021 winners who moved up the all-time winners list include Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (18), Alanis Morissette (13), Arkells (seven), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (six) and Bahamas (five). Bieber performed “Somebody” from a studio in Los Angeles. It was his first Junos appearance in 11 years.

Saxe won breakthrough artist of the year. He’s the first male artist to win in that category since Brett Kissel seven years ago, after which the award went to a succession of six female artists – Kiesza, Alessia Cara, Ruth B, Jessie Reyez, bülow and Lennon Stella. Saxe received a Grammy nomination for song of the year in November for “If the World Was Ending,” which he co-wrote with Julia Michaels. Saxe and Michaels performed that song, and another, “Like That,” on the Junos, also from Los Angeles.

Savannah Ré’s Solid won traditional R&B/soul recording of the year. The award was presented by Liberty Silver and Jully Black. In 1985, Silver became the first winner in an R&B category at the Junos. This marks the first year that R&B has been split into traditional and contemporary categories. As noted, The Weeknd won the contemporary R&B award.

According to the Junos, 52% of this year’s 48 unique winners were first-time winners, 46% had female representation and 40% had BIPOC representation.

The show also featured performances by Ali Gatie & Tate McRae (“Lie to Me” and “What If I Told You That I Loved You”); William Prince featuring Serena Ryder (“The Spark”) and Jessie Reyez (Do You Love Her” and “Before Love Came to Kill Us”). It also included a salute to 30 years of rap at the Junos featuring Michie Mee, Maestro Fresh Wes, Kardinal Offishall, Jully Black, NAV and Haviah Mighty.

Jann Arden, who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, performed “Good Mother” from the National Music Centre in her hometown of Calgary. The Tragically Hip, winners of the Humanitarian Award, performed “It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” with special guest Feist from Massey Hall in Toronto.

The Junos are counting this at their 50th telecast. The awards debuted in 1970, but they skipped a year in 1988 and had only a perfunctory streamed awards presentation in June 2020, at the nadir of the pandemic.

The show included a series of illuminating spots dubbed “My Junos Moment” in which such stars as Morissette, k.d. lang and Shania Twain revisited clips from past shows and commented on what those moments meant to them.

Here is a complete list of winners presented on Sunday’s show. See this story for a complete list of winners presented on Friday’s show.

Juno fan choice: Shawn Mendes

Album of the year: After Hours, The Weeknd, The Weeknd XO/Republic/Universal

Artist of the year: The Weeknd, The Weeknd XO/Republic/Universal

Breakthrough artist of the year: JP Saxe, Arista/Sony

Pop album of the year: Changes, Justin Bieber Def Jam/Universal

Traditional R&B/soul recording of the year: Solid, Savannah Ré, 1Music/Universal

The Kid is growing up fast.

In a matter of days, the Sydney-raised, Los Angeles-based chart-champion The Kid LAROI busts a longstanding radio airplay record in his homeland, and unveils a deal with U.S. management guru Scooter Braun.

The teenage singer and rapper’s “Without You” enters a 14th non-consecutive week at No. 1 on Australia’s radio airplay chart, wrecking the 13-week record set by Bernard Fanning with 2005’s ‘Wish You Well’.

“The record for No. 1 airplay back home? That’s crazy!” LAROI comments. “Thank you to radio for supporting me and thank you to my fans for your support. I love you guys and can’t wait to come home.”

The new mark is set on The Music Network’s Hot 100 chart (issue 1343), powered by Radio Monitor.

It’s the latest in a growing list of accolades and records for the 17-year-old, born Charlton Howard.

Earlier this year, he became the youngest Australian solo artist to lead the ARIA Albums Chart, when F*ck Love (Savage) went to No. 1. The mixtape also peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, and he was selected as the MTV Push Global artist for the month of April.

Also that month, he was the youngest winner at the 2021 APRA Music Awards, where he took out the newcomer award.

Then, in May, the Kid showed fresh legs as “Without You” lifted 10-1 in its 22 week on the ARIA chart, for his first No. 1 single.

Global streams of his music are well past 1 billion and the lad’s signature song has since topped Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts.

LAROI’s adventure should gather pace following his signing with Scooter Braun’s SB Projects, where he joins a roster that includes Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, J Balvin, Dan + Shay and Tori Kelly. Braun briefly co-managed Aussie act Sheppard.

According to Variety, which broke the story, SBP president Allison Kaye and general manager Jen McDaniels will split management duties for LAROI.

Sources tell the title that competition was heated for the Kid’s signature, and included Ron Lafitte of Patriot Management (Pharrell Williams, Ryan Tedder) and Adam Leber, who manages Lil Nas X and Miley Cyrus, who collaborated with the Aussie artist on a remix of “Without You”.

Laroi signed with UTA for representation in February.

Taylor Swift is feeling all the emotions this weekend, as Evermore tops the Billboard 200 albums chart again.

As Billboard just revealed, Evermore returns to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a fourth nonconsecutive week in the top position, with 202,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending June 3, according to MRC Data. Album sales comprise 192,000 of that sum, which makes it the biggest sales week of 2021.

Swift retweeted Billboard’s update on Sunday (June 6), sharing her thoughts and gratitude.

“This one hit me hard,” she wrote. “I’m so in my feelings (more so than usual!) over what you all did here for evermore. Blown away by how much you care, and how long we’ve been caring about each other. Love you, so very much.”

Swift included four red heart emojis in her tweet — which, naturally, had fans putting on their detective hats in the comments. (Is it just a random way to show her love for Swifties, or could it be a hint that the re-recording of Red, her fourth studio album, is near?)

Billboard reported earlier that Evermore’s sales surge was fueled by the set’s modern-era record-breaking vinyl LP sales, autographed CDs and discounting on the digital version of the album. Evermore last held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 on the Jan. 16-dated chart.

See Swift’s reaction to the album’s return to No. 1 below.

BTS’ RM dropped a new track, “Bicycle,” as part of the group’s Festa 2021, a celebration of their anniversary that spans several days in June.

“Bicycle” rolled in this weekend when BTS tweeted a link to their blog, which featured a stream of the tune.

The new song was produced, written and arranged by RM and John Eun. The cover artwork was created by artist Sungsic Moon.

RM previously charted for a solo release on the Billboard 200 in 2018, with his mixtape (or “playlist”) Mono.

BTS’ most recent hit, the English-language “Butter,” glided to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts in the June 5-dated week.

Listen to RM’s “Bicycle” below.

Swizz Beatz put photos of Alicia Keys as a child and their son Genesis side-by-side, and the resemblance is uncanny.

Swizz shared the adorable snapshots of his wife and son on Instagram on Saturday (June 5), which happens to be the 20th anniversary of Keys’ debut studio album, Songs in A Minor, admitting that Genesis is definitely his mom’s mini-me.

“Damn I officially lost the battle of who Genesis looks like as a kid,” he wrote. “He stole moms entire face wow !!!!!”

The pair share the same beautiful curls and expressions in the pictures.

Take a look at their sweet family photos below and on Instagram to see just how much they look alike.

How much money does Ed Sheeran have? Are there any songs he hates playing? He answered those tricky questions, and more, in a new video posted by BBC Radio 1.

Sheeran was interviewed by 9- and 10-year-old kids for the clip, which was uploaded to YouTube on Friday (June 4).

The questions weren’t so bad at first, but got a bit tougher as things went on.

One child asked whether Sheeran had any plans to be in another film, to which he admitted, “I actually got asked to do a cameo the other day for a movie, and it’s quite funny, so I might do it … I’m not an actor, so if someone goes, ‘Hey, do you wanna be in a movie?’ I will always say yes.”

Another asked what his favorite food was, and the answer was easy, if not very specific: “Takeaway.”

But then the topic turned into something slightly more uncomfortable: “Have you ever worked with anyone that you didn’t like?” Sheeran was asked.

“Yeah, of course,” he replied. “I’ve definitely worked with people I don’t like. I’ve worked with a hell of a lot of people in my time, and I would say 99.9% of them are really great, but of course there’s gonna be one bad egg.”

Next, a young fan wanted to know when the singer-songwriter last told a lie.

He said, “I try to be very, very honest in my life, ’cause I feel like with lying, you always get caught out. There’s never a point where you don’t get caught out, so I can’t remember the last one, but it was probably a white lie to do with parenting.”

And when asked how much money he has, Sheeran explained, “I’ve been very fortunate to be able to do what I love as a job for a long time. I’ve done all right. I would say I have more than I would ever need. I like doing a lot of stuff for charities, keeping it local. I feel like that’s where to put the energy.”

“That’s kind of a long-winded answer, but I didn’t want to just come out … You can Google it,” he added, but clarified: “I think people think when they see that amount, they go, ‘Oh, he’s got that in the bank.’ I feel like no one in the world — think of Jeff Bezos. Jeff Bezos hasn’t got that in the bank at that one time. Jeff Bezos probably has a very, very impressive bank, but I feel like it’s all tied up in stuff.”

Sheeran also addressed whether there are any songs he doesn’t like playing — “Yeah, but not many songs, and I am a professional performer,” he insisted — and if he’s ever done the “pull my finger” joke.

See the full interview below.

In a series of tweets over the weekend, Sinéad O’Connor stated that she is retiring from her career in touring and recording music.

The Irish singer-songwriter, known for her ethereal take on the Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U” that peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 1990, announced her retirement plans on Friday evening (June 4). Billboard reached out to a representative for O’Connor for comment.

“This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business. I’ve gotten older and I’m tired. So it’s time for me to hang up my nipple tassels, having truly given my all. NVDA in 2022 will be my last release. And there’ll be no more touring or promo,” O’Connor wrote on Twitter.

Replying to a fan who inquired about her upcoming concert dates, O’Connor clarified: “Yes, all shows which were originally set for 2020, rescheduled to 2021 and then to 2022 are going to be pulled. Because this soldier woman has grown old quicker than covid.”

In a follow-up tweet, she added, “It’s not sad news. It’s staggeringly beautiful news. A wise warrior knows when he or she should retreat: #MeTime.”

“It’s been a forty year journey,” said O’Connor, who’s released 10 full-length studio albums over the years. “Time to put the feet up and make other dreams come true.”

On Saturday, O’Connor returned to Twitter to say she was sorry to anyone on her team who might have been taken aback by her sudden announcement.

“Apologies if any upset caused to booking agents or promoters or managers due to my tweeting about my retirement,” she wrote. “I guess the book made me realise I’m my own boss. I didn’t wanna wait for permission from the men, as to when I could announce it. Also, I’d had a few whiskeys.”

O’Connor just released a memoir titled Rememberings. The book, which delves into her upbringing, her journey in music and her struggles with illness, was first announced in December, soon after the singer had said she was entering a year-long treatment program for trauma and addiction. At the time, she told fans that she planned to return with both a new album and tour in 2022.

“I grew up with a lot of trauma and abuse. I then went straight into the music business. And never learned really how to make a normal life. Never took proper time to heal. Wasn’t ready to either,” she wrote on Twitter in November.

Kourtney Kardashian is showing some love to a new song produced by her boyfriend Travis Barker.

On Friday (June 4), the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star teamed up with friend and social media personality Addison Rae to generate some buzz the new single “Think About Me” by jxdn, who is signed to Barker’s DTA Records.

In a video posted on Kardashian’s TikTok, the reality TV star and Rae are seen rocking matching Blink-182 hoodies while playfully lip-synching the rock track’s catchy chorus.

“It’s the spins for me …,” Kardashian captioned her post, tagging Rae and jxdn’s Jaden Hossler.

Hossler is signed to Barker’s DTA, a joint venture with Elektra Music Group. The 20-year-old singer’s debut album, Tell Me About Tomorrow, was produced by the Blink-182 drummer and is scheduled for release on July 2 through DTA.

Barker and Kardashian, who made their relationship Instagram official in February, have been making headlines regularly with their PDA-filled social media posts.

In recent weeks, the pair made some magical memories during a trip to Disneyland with their respective kids. They’ve also been on other family outings together, including a ski trip to Utah in April.

Kardashian recently made it permanently clear how she feels about the musician. On May 12, she showed off the “I love you” tattoo she inked in her handwriting on Barker. The musician commented, “Woman of many talents.”

But that wasn’t the only mark she’s left on him. In April, she showed off the tattoo of her name that the drummer had gotten on his chest.

Check out Kardashian’s latest TikTok post here.

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

Karol G Announces Livestream

In celebration of all the success her album KG0516 is having, Karol G will bless fans with an upcoming virtual concert. “This is the album of my dreams, the one of my nights of insomnia, the one I can’t stop listening to,” she wrote on Instagram. On June 10, the Colombian star will perform live hits from her latest set, home to “Bichota,” “Location” and “El Makinon.” The livestream will transmit via Facebook and Oculus. Check out the announcement below.

Hispanic Heritage Awards Returns For 34th Edition

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) unveiled that the 34th Hispanic Heritage Awards will be broadcast on Oct. 8 across PBS stations, the official website, and video app. The awards are presented by Target for the ninth year. “The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to once again partner with Target and PBS to collectively celebrate and share the great promise, accomplishments, and cultural pride of the Latinx community through the 2021 awardees and powerful tributes by great performers,” HHF president/CEO Antonio Tijerino said in a statement.

The awards, which were created by the White House in 1988 to commemorate the establishment of Hispanic Heritage Month in America, recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Latino leaders in various fields while celebrating cultural pride and the great promise to America. The 2021 honorees, performers, hosts, presenters, and other sponsors will be announced in the coming months.

Hector Delgado Makes Comeback

Reggaeton veteran-turned-pastor Hector Delgado has made his highly-awaited comeback to music with his album, La Hora Cero, featuring 10 songs about spirituality and worship. Released under Maranatha Ministries and Nain Music, and co-produced by Aneudy Maysonet, the set marks Delgado’s first musical project since embracing the gospel in 2008.

“I felt in my heart that this was the perfect time for what God did with me to be heard through my music,” Delgado said in a statement. “La Hora Cero is another tool that I will use to transform lives, leading them towards the word and the way of the Lord.” Listen to focus track “Todo por nada” below.

Nicky Jam Launches “Nicky Jamz” 

Nicky Jam is giving fans the ultimate experience with the launch of his new website nickyjamz.com. Available through the subscription-based FanTime app, the Puerto Rican artist will provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to his personal life. Fans will even have the opportunity to request personalized voice notes from Nicky. “I can’t wait to connect with fans in a more meaningful way and for them to get a peek into my world and see who I really am,” Nicky said in a statement.

J Balvin Signs His First Female Artist

This week, rising Dominican rapper La Gabi (real name: Gabriela Guaba) officially signed her contract to form part of J Balvin’s record label. “I’m officially the first female artist signed by J Balvin,” she captioned her celebration video. “Thank God for listening to my prayers. The wait is over. From here to the sun.”  The Miami-based newcomer  garnered the attention of Balvin after dropping her own freestyle version of his singles “Blanco,” “Morado” and “Loco Contigo.”

A Miami man awaiting trial for murder spent two days on the lam after the county jail system mistakenly released him from custody this week. Bobby Whipple, 50, was supposed … Click to Continue »