Megan Moroney talks about her album ‘Am I Okay?’ debuting in the Billboard 200 top 10, being inspired by Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift, loving ‘The Tortured Poets Deparment’ album so much this year and more at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

Megan Moroney
It was a dream come true to have my album debut in the top 10 of the Billboard 200. That is not something that I ever thought would come out of my mouth. And I just feel grateful to write music, and I’m so happy the fans love it as much as I do. You know, when I found out I was performing at the Billboard Music Awards, the first thing I thought of was, what am I gonna wear? And so I feel like that probably takes the most time. I think my favorite part of performing live is hearing my fans sing words that I wrote, whether it was like in a bedroom or a writing room or wherever, and we all just sing it together. It’s very therapeutic. Growing up, Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift were two huge inspirations for me, and you know, I’ve been a fan of theirs for so long. So I know what fans want from artists, because I grew up such a fan and yeah, I’m just taking notes from them. I think I probably listened to ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ the most this year. Hopefully tonight, me and my fans can just send all of our exes to the moon together, because that’s the goal.

Stray Kids reminisce about Billboard‘s support for them early in their career, their first album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts, being grateful for the support from their STAYs and more at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

Stray Kids:
The Billboard charts are something that felt so out of reach growing up. Thanks to receiving so much of STAYs’ love and support, we have been able to chart with our albums and achieve so many things. Accomplishing this is still so surreal to us. Thank you so, so much. It really wants us to work even harder going forward. Thank you, Billboard! I mean it’s funny because, you know back before even when we debuted, Billboard actually named us as, you know, the top five K-pop artists to watch out for in 2018. And we were No. 1, so that was, something very, very memorable. And also our very first Billboard No.1 would be ODDINARY. Yeah.

Well, we all believe that because of STAYs, STAYs are the reason why we are here on this stage, performing for the BBMAs. So it’s really important to share this moment with STAYs here on stage. And yeah, I think it’s something memorable and something we can all enjoy. We brought out the two best performances that Stray Kids had this year because of that. I hope you can feel Stray Kids’ colors a bit more deeply. Along with this large-scale set, soon there will be STAYs here as well. I hope you can also see the way we synergize with STAYs.

SEVENTEEN talks about how they feel about being on the Billboard charts and how much their CARATs mean to them at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

What does charting on the Billboard Charts mean to you and your career? 

SEVENTEEN:
What do you think, Woozi? It’s such an honor for SEVENTEEN and for CARATS. It’s so meaningful and one of the reason we always put in effort for good results. It feels like we’re given the strength to continue on with a feeling of accomplishment. These results are not something we could have achieved with just SEVENTEEN alone, so it’s even more meaningful. And we believe that rather than us, it’s our CARATs who achieved these results. So I hope they feel more proud and happy. Right, the reason SEVENTEEN exists is because of CARATs. 

Hardcopy books are perfect for displaying on your coffee table, but on the days you’re commuting or traveling to new destinations, finding space to pack a thick book isn’t always easy. To help you update your reading list with audiobooks, Amazon is giving you a chance to get up to three months of Audible for just $0.99/month.

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Audible Plus Premium gets you one free title from Audible’s library a month to keep in addition to everything included in the Audible Plus plan. Once the three months are over, you’ll be charged the normal subscription price of $14.95 a month. With three months for only $0.99, though, you’ll be saving around $42 or a whopping 93% off the regular price.

This is a limited-time offer so we recommend acting fast to score this new Audible deal. It makes a great last-minute gift idea too. See full details here.

For more product recommendations, check out ShopBillboard‘s roundups of the best country music books, Taylor Swift books and the best music books.

Jelly Roll shares who he’s been listening to this year at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

Jelly Roll
It’s all about the fans. Always fan first in every regard, every time, all the time. We wouldn’t have a stage to stand on if there wasn’t people in front of it.

Question:
Who did you listen to most this year?

Jelly Roll
Oh goodness, probably Chappell Roan, dude, I’ve been “Hot to Go” like everybody else. I can’t lie, a lot of ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ Taylor, I thought had a great album. Sabrina’s album was incredible. Lainey Wilson’s ‘Whirlwind,’ Cody Johnson’s ‘Leather,’ Kelsea Ballerini’s ‘Pattern’ just came out. I’m sorry, I’m excited.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Gifting season is here, and whether you’re shopping for yourself or a friend, you can upgrade your alarm clock with Amazon’s Echo Spot. Now available for a limited-time deal of just $44.99, down from the original price of $79.99, you’ll snag a sleek and functional device that doubles as a smart speaker.

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Another Amazon customer said, “The sound is much cleaner than the Dot that it replaced with much better bass response. It also does a better job at picking up voices in the room over any noise.”

For more product recommendations, check out these Early Amazon deals, top 5 best bluetooth speakers, and this Bose SoundLink Max Portable speaker.

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Elton John: Never Too Late celebrates the extraordinary 50-year career of one of the biggest names in pop and rock music. Streaming exclusively on Disney+, the documentary gives fans a peek at the legendary singer’s life behind his rhinestone-encrusted glasses, as he prepares for his farewell live concert at Dodger Stadium, the same venue of his iconic 1975 performance.

Directed by R.J. Cutler and John’s husband/manager David Furnish, the film is jam-packed with unseen footage, rare interviews and an array of Elton’s greatest hits as he explores the inspiring full-circle journey of his career. In his own words, he recounts the many struggles he’s faced early on in life, to his rise to fame and career-defining sold-out shows. So get your sequined Dodgers uniform on and enjoy this look into one of music’s biggest acts.

Check out how to stream the documentary below.

How to Watch the Elton John: Never Too Late Documentary

Elton John: Never Too Late is exclusively streaming on Disney+ starting Dec. 13. If you’re already a member, just log in to your account and simply press play.

Not subscribed? The streaming platform offers a variety of subscription options starting at just $9.99/month, which grants you access to the entire Disney+ library, including the Elton John: Never Too Late documentary, original and exclusive content from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and more.

Some notable programs to instantly add to your watchlist include Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour concert film, Dancing With the StarsShe-HulkLightyearTurning RedAndor and more.

Ditch the ads with Disney+’s premium plan for $15.99/month, or consume even more content with a mix of bundle options that include Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $10.99/month. If you’re interested in live TV, you can even bundle with Hulu + Live TV. Sign up for the bundle plan here or below.

To get hyped for the documentary, check out the trailer for Elton John: Never Too Late below.

Selena Gomez announced her engagement to Benny Blanco on Wednesday, December 11th. Keep watching to see the cute pictures she shared along with reactions to the engagement!

Tetris Kelly:

Selena Gomez is engaged! We got the story on her and producer Benny Blanco and how Taylor Swift is ready to get involved. Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are officially engaged. The news just broke when Gomez shared an Instagram carousel featuring her engagement ring, alongside the caption “forever begins now,” and Benny adorably responded: “hey wait… that’s my wife.” And Selena’s bestie Taylor Swift is ready for the wedding. She commented: “yes, I will be the flower girl.” The pair have been romantically linked since December 2023, but their professional relationship began when they collaborated on the 2019 track “I Can’t Get Enough” alongside Tainy and J Balvin.

Last week, Sky Ferreira revealed she was releasing her first song as an independent artist in conjunction with the upcoming A24 drama Babygirl. The reaction was instant, with fans, fellow artists and critics welcoming the news. The new song, “Leash,” serves as a return for the singer-songwriter, whose last album, the acclaimed Night Time, My Time, dropped way back in 2013. “I was already so excited for babygirl but now we get babygirl + a new song from Sky,” tweeted friend and collaborator Charli XCX. “Omg stan mode activated.”

The fervent reaction — and her involvement in the Nicole Kidman-starring awards season favorite – comes after an admittedly dark time for the artist, during which she endured an acrimonious split with Capitol Records. “There’s a lot of people who are starting to understand the extent of what happened,” she told IndieWire of the period.

Now, Ferreira finally feels free, and her new song speaks as much to the plot of Babygirl as it does her own career. The singer-songwriter spoke to Billboard about reactions to her song, her creative inspirations and how she’s taken back her professional and creative power.

When all this was announced, the internet went ballistic. What did you make of the reaction?

I’m excited that my fans like it, you know? I always feel weird being like “My fans!” (Laughs) But you know, people that listen to my music often or whatever. But I’m glad that it’s just out now. It was just this thing that I was anticipating. Now I’ve been doing all these interviews and stuff like that, and I haven’t been doing that in quite a while, so I’m kind of adapting to that again. But I’m glad that it has positive feedback, for the most part, from what I’m aware of because (coming out with this song) wasn’t the most conventional choice. I wasn’t really sure how people were going to take it or if they were going to accept it as much.

I think your fans were clamoring for this comeback, redemption arc, or whatever you want to call it. Especially in an era when people are taking charge of their own stuff, whether Taylor Swift or Kesha, artists who are reclaiming their power in their own ways.

Definitely, definitely, and I mean, it does seem like maybe there’s finally some progress in that sense where people are starting to feel more comfortable talking about this without all the repercussions of doing so. I mean, I feel those repercussions a little bit — not as much as I used to years ago talking about it. I don’t feel like I’m just yelling into a void or something.

What do you think changed?

Well, I can’t pretend that misogyny still isn’t rampant by any means, because it definitely is. There’s even moments with this when I’ve noticed it. But for the most part, I feel like people are more aware of this thing, that it happens. It’s not just something that happened in the ‘90s, 80s or ‘70s. I think younger people too, especially artists, maybe are more aware that they’re supposed to have more ownership of not just of their music but their career. They’re aware of the importance of it. I think that makes a big difference. It’s holding some space (for the fact that) the music industry might have to be more accountable for these things now. And someone like Taylor Swift definitely has made a huge impact in a sense, because she’s the biggest pop star on earth. So I think that brought a lot of awareness.

Have you spoken to other artists who have been in vaguely similar situations?

I’ve talked to some people that were older that have been in deals, maybe they were married to someone that they were signed to, stuff like that. But that was a long time ago, that sort of thing. But no, I actually haven’t. And obviously I would like to. I don’t really know that many people. I’ve known people that have been buried for other art, like, other artists, but they weren’t held captive by their label for such a long period of time. I know that happened to JoJo, right? I think she was stuck in her deal forever. But I’ve never really come across anyone that’s had it to the extent where I have, where they just kind of sit on you for years, because I think that’s why a lot of people seem to not believe certain artists or me even. I feel like the common thing is people ask, “Well, why won’t they just drop them?” And it’s not a wise business decision on their part. I think they don’t want you to do better elsewhere. So it’s better to just keep you there, because they don’t want to lose their jobs or something. At least that’s one way of trying to think about it. I’ve gone through so many of the motions of trying to understand why it happened and to the extent that it happened and there’s really no answer that I can think of that makes it seem reasonable.

It’s incredible to think with your own body of work that your last album was released before streaming really kicked into gear. Are you seeing new audiences discover you now that “Leash” is out?

You know, it’s so weird when people are like, “I was the fifth grade when your album came out!” Like, I’m that old. Like, f–k! It is funny though because there’s young people who don’t realize I’m 32. They see the album cover and think I’m a teenager or something.

Let’s talk about “Leash” which is adventurous, provocative, creative — all of these things you’re known for. Where’d the title come from? Did you feel you were inserting your own experiences in at least the title of the song?

I mean, yes and no. It’s funny; the song was due and it was like, “What do we name this song?” We’re going through titles and “Leash” was the one I liked the most that I wrote down. There were different ones that didn’t capture the energy of the song. I didn’t want it to be too tragic sounding. The title definitely tied in with — I don’t know if you’ve watched the film — but it tied in with this dog that’s kind of like a symbol in the film.

I know you said the song got you out of your comfort zone while you were creating it. How so?

I felt responsible to make something for other people besides me. I don’t make creative decisions based off of other people, like what they would want. And this actually wasn’t a challenge because they gave me a lot more trust and freedom that I didn’t expect. But I was hired to do this thing and serve the film, so I wanted to be in line with whatever the director, the music supervisor and A24 envisioned for it. So I felt responsible to do that while trying to create something that is memorable, but also captures something within the film without being on the nose. I’m not describing anything that actually happens in the film or any of the plot — it’s more of a feeling.

I know you started the song fresh. Why not just get inspiration from your own archives? I’d assume you have a mountain of unreleased material right now.

I think for me, I’m trying to move forward. I wanted to show myself and try new things and I didn’t want to answer to anyone. I didn’t want to have to deal with any of that. It was definitely a therapeutic experience for me, a learning experience. I knew how to do all this and I have been doing it but it was validating. My self-esteem was pretty low after the last year. I had a pretty rough year. I’ve had a pretty rough year for like five years. But it showed that I’m capable of doing this without having to listen to the outside world telling me what I can do, what I can’t do, and what I’m capable of, or worrying what people will think of me. Because when people are saying things already, what more could they say? What more could they do at this point, you know? And it kind of allowed me to kind of deal with a few things to write about, that I subconsciously didn’t realize I was doing at that time. It showed that I don’t have to fully be stuck in my past. Though, I’ve never felt stuck in my past. Like, “Oh, the good old days!” or something like that. I’ve always been trying to make something new and challenge myself in some way. But I wanted something that didn’t carry all the weight because I already carry that.

The idea of putting a countdown in the song before that switch up I thought was really interesting. It reminded me of Madonna. Where did the idea of putting that countdown in there come from?

Well, there were a few things. How I developed writing pop songs and the stuff I generally tend to lean toward pop-wise are definitely more ‘80s and ‘90s music. In a way that’s kind of just where my mind goes. I’m a big Madonna fan and I’m a big Janet Jackson fan. I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t think of Janet Jackson on purpose, but after I did it I was like, “Oh, it doesn’t sound like Janet Jackson, but she I feel like she counts a lot in all of her songs, right?” But also I thought it would be fun to kind of have a little nod to Nicole Kidman somewhere in there. And I was originally trying to find scenes from Eyes Wide Shut, just little clips and distort it and do something like hidden within it and turn it into almost like an instrument within itself. What we ended up with was the counting from the film; I mean, I jumped over it because apparently I could probably get in trouble for that, so it’s my voice counting. I just kind of sat there for like 30 minutes trying to sound like Nicole Kidman. And I actually got pretty close. It was funny. I was like, “Oh, this is what I would sound like if I was more womanly and less, I don’t know, West Side L.A. girl sounding.”

I know you know one of your most vocal supporters has been Charli XCX. She tweeted about the song and you’ve collaborated in the past. What do you make of her success with Brat, from your perspective?

Well, I wasn’t necessarily surprised by it by any means. The only thing I’m surprised by is that it didn’t happen sooner. I’m so proud of her, I’m so happy for her, and it shows that hard work and talent does matter. It’s not just based off of who knows who or whatever. I think she had such a huge following to begin with before this, with her diehard fans and a great body of work. I mean, I can’t really think of anyone else I’d rather see that happen to. She’s always been so kind since I’ve known her for the past 12 or 13 years. I was always expecting it.

Shaboozey talks about the success of “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” on the Hot 100, who he’s been listening to and more at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards.

Shaboozey:
Charting on the Billboard charts is super important to me. It’s definitely something I feel like it has, like, a long-standing history. And being able to have a song, or, you know, have a couple songs this year, you know, finally break that. It just shows that, you know, it’s a testament to all the hard work and dedication and sacrifice we just put in. I really think it’s been a really cool year for music.

Listen to our Sabrina Carpenter. Listen to a lot of, you know every Benson Boone, Teddy Swims, Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, but yeah, just a lot of, just my friends. You know, it’s really cool to be able to listen to your friends, or like to, you know, to start with something. And we have this respect for each other. But there’s been so much good music I can’t say, you know, one artist and my taste jumps around a lot.

Having the longest charting song is crazy. Last year, I remember just checking out some of just looking at the charts and just being like, “Man, I would love to have a song, you know, even just enter in for me, having my first Hot 100 entry this year, my first two, and getting the longest No. 1.” It’s pretty cra… I don’t know if that’s ever happened before, making history has always been like a big thing for me, and just having an impact as an artist and as a human being. So it just shows that I didn’t let my childhood self down.