Zach Bryan has completed his deferred prosecution agreement connected to his 2023 arrest in Oklahoma, People confirmed with the Craig County, Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office.

Related

Per the publication, since he completed the six-month agreement, the criminal case against him has been closed. “He admitted responsibility and followed all of the rules and conditions of probation,” District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Michelle Lowry said. Billboard has reached out to Bryan’s reps for more information.

Deferred prosecution agreements are typically used in situations where the person has no criminal record, and is considered an opportunity to take responsibility avoid having a recorded criminal conviction.

In September, footage of Bryan’s arrest made its rounds on the Internet. During the traffic stop, which occurred after Bryan was pulled over for driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone, and 60 mph in a 35 mph zone, the “Pink Skies” was “clearly aggravated and argumentative,” per the affidavit and ignored officer’s demands for him to get back into his car. He also told officers, “I’ll go to jail. Let’s do it,” and added that situations like his is why “people do not like police officers,” per the document.

Bryan was released on a $1,000 bond after being booked in Craig County jail.

The country singer confirmed the news of his arrest on Sept. 8, admitting that he got “too lippy” with officers. “I was an idiot today. My decisions did not reflect who I was as a person… I should have been smarter about it,” he explained, laying out the full timeline of events from his perspective. “I felt like a child, it was ridiculous, it was immature. And I just pray everyone knows I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been and it was my mistake,” he said.

The Latin Grammys celebrated their 25th anniversary November 14 at Miami’s Kaseya Center with an award show that was full of impressive musical moments, from the premiere of Pitbull’s new single “Now Or Never” – a throwback track featuring Jon Bon Jovi — to the medley featuring rising female stars Kali Uchis, Elena Rose and Emilia.

It was an eclectic night with plenty of risk-taking. Very new artists, like Darumas and The Warning (who both happen to be all-female groups) were given solo slots, and major, established artists like Marc Anthony and Alejandro Fernández were willing to step into milestone collaborative moments. Marc Anthony was part of a salsa medley that was a highlight of the evening while Fernández joined David Bisbal, Carlos Rivera, Leonel García and Reik in an homage to iconic Mexican singers.

Person of the Year Carlos Vives got his major Latin Grammy moment with his band La Provincia and plenty of Colombian friends, and while the evening’s big winners were decidedly vintage (Juan Luis Guerra, Jorge Drexler), the show asserted its now factor from the onset, with an opening number hosted by DJ Khaled, who presented performances by three contemporary names: Quevedo, Eladio Carrión and Myke Towers.

While there were no low points in the show, which aired live on Univision, there were certainly highlights among the 15 performances. As is a Billboard tradition after major award shows, we have ranked all performances, from 16 to 1, beginning with the lowest to the highest ranked. Regardless of your personal ranking, our collective enjoyment of this show was unanimous.

Read on to find out who made the top of our list.

Hulu’s new docuseries It’s All Country takes fans behind the scenes with some of their favorite acts.

Related

Hosted and co-created by Luke Bryan, the series — which premiered Friday (Nov. 15) — features the country superstar going deep with his fellow artists, revealing the stories behind the songs, their hidden inspirations and how their lives inform their music.

The series, executive produced by Bryan’s CMA Awards co-host Peyton Manning’s Omaha production company, features Kane Brown, Lady A, Luke Combs, Sheryl Crow, Wynonna Judd and Mickey Guyton.  Guest musicians appearing in the series include Julie Williams, Cash Cortes, Jimbo Mathus, Tenille Arts, Jaimee Harris, Shaboozey, Benjamin Tod and Sierra Ferrell. In addition to Manning, Bryan, his manager Kerri Edwards and Grant Kahler serve as executive producers.

In the trailer, Bryan is seen playing music with his guests and interviewing them. “Behind every country song is a human story, an untold story, and I’m here to find those stories,” he says in the trailer.

The series was Manning’s idea. “When Peyton first came to me about doing this show in our country music space, I loved the idea,” Bryan tells Billboard. “I had seen his previous work in the NFL space and knew this could really be special for our fans. It really became such a conversational piece that I don’t always have the opportunity to do with my peers.”

For Bryan, getting to spend in-depth time with his fellow artists yielded far more rewards than he could have ever hoped. “It was honestly so much more than I envisioned going into the filming,” he says. “Each one gave us pieces of their stories that I had never heard before, and I think the audiences will also feel the same.”

Manning calls himself a “lifelong” fan of country music, “but co-hosting the CMA Awards has made me a lot more knowledgeable in the space,” he tells Billboard.

“A few years ago, the team at Omaha asked me what some of my passions and interests were outside of sports,” Manning continues. “I’ve always been a huge country music fan. I’ve had the chance to host the CMA Awards the last few years and I go to as many country concerts as I can, so it was a natural fit to expand into this space and take a swing at producing a show that celebrates country music, like we’ve done in sports.”

It's All Country
It’s All Country

In his role as executive producer, Manning says, “I just wanted to give a platform to artists to tell their stories. I enjoy watching the rough cuts and giving my two cents or suggestions and seeing the episodes come to life.” He opened up his rolodex when it came to booking the series. “Early on in production, the producers gave me a target guest list, and I went through and said, ‘I can text Luke Combs’ or ‘I’m a fan of Sheryl Crow,’ and we went from there,” Manning says. “I’m proud of all the different artists featured in the show – they’ve all had their own unique experiences and made an impact on country music.”

Manning admits he had a soft spot for Lady A, the only group featured in the first season. “Coming from a team sports background, the episode with Lady A resonated with me in particular,” the former Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos quarterback says. “I can understand how critical that relationship with your bandmates or teammates is. The viewer gets a taste of how they’ve navigated all their success as a group, supporting each other like teammates in a locker room.”

As far as other series he may want to be involved in, Bryan isn’t limiting himself. “Oh gosh, you never know with me,” he says. “I’m the type that stuff is constantly popping in my head. It comes down to weeding through the ideas that people around me feel best serve our industry and fit my overall brand.  Very thankful to have this opportunity.”

Bryan and Manning will be joined by Lainey Wilson as co-hosts of the CMA Awards, airing Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.

Spotify is on such a hot streak that the streaming company nearly reached a $100 billion market capitalization this week. After the company’s third-quarter earnings showed cost-cutting has led to record profitability, shares peaked at a new all-time high of $489.69 on Thursday (Nov. 14), briefly putting its market capitalization above $98 billion. However, the stock fell on Friday (Nov. 15) to a final closing price of $458.32, valuing the company at $92.04 billion. While the stock was still up 14.5%, that marked a bit of a letdown from its previous high.

During the height of the pandemic, Spotify benefitted from a rush into streaming stocks as consumers spent more time with audio and visual media. Investors were also attracted to its push into podcasts, which provided an opportunity to improve upon the margins of its core music service. But investors eventually grew tired of Spotify’s growth-over-profitability mantra, sending the company’s share price from $387 in February 2021 to under $70 in November 2021. But a focus on cost-cutting and expansion into audiobooks helped bring investors back; Spotify shares gained 138% in 2023 and have already increased 144% in 2024. 

Related

After delivering solid results and showing investors a pathway to greater profitability, Guggenheim increased its price target for Spotify to $500 from $420 and raised its estimate for 2025 operating profit to 2.5 billion euros ($2.63 billion) from 2.1 billion euros ($2.21 billion). Analysts cited management’s confidence in usage growth and ability to raise prices and further improve margins. Morgan Stanley raised Spotify to $460 from $430, also citing the company’s ability to further raise prices and management’s “commitment to financial discipline and driving profitability.” At JPMorgan, analysts upped Spotify to $530 from $425 for the aforementioned reasons, in addition to the stock’s coming inclusion in the MSCI World Index on Nov. 25. 

A bevy of analysts also increased their price targets for Live Nation following the company’s earnings report on Monday (Nov. 11), which showed that the promoter achieved a record adjusted operating income in the third quarter. Among them: Rosenblatt Securities ($146 from $123), Goldman Sachs ($148 from $132), Benchmark ($145 from $108), Evercore ISI ($150 from $110), Oppenheimer ($155 from $120) and Wolfe Research ($152 from $125). Live Nation shares finished the week at $129.00, up 4.9%, and reached a new intraday high of $130.83 on Friday.

Spotify’s big gain was the primary reason the Billboard Global Music Index grew 5.8% to 2,162.50 despite just six of its 20 stocks finishing the week in positive territory. The float-adjusted, unweighted index measures the aggregate market values of the 20 member companies; Spotify is the most valuable company on the index and is more than twice as valuable as the next company, Universal Music Group (UMG). The week’s other five gainers are among the index’s largest companies: Live Nation, CTS Eventim, JYP Entertainment, HYBE and SM Entertainment all have market capitalizations exceeding $1 billion.

Stock markets hit a post-election hangover this week that stalled the gains seen after Donald Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 5. In the United States, the Nasdaq fell 3.1% and the S&P 500 dropped 2.1%. The United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 lost just 0.1%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index fell 5.6%. China’s Shanghai Composite Index lost 3.5%. 

Related

Despite the KOSPI’s decline, K-pop stocks — which have recovered ground in the second half of the year and now have a collective year-to-date deficit of 20.2% — were up across the board. JYP Entertainment gained 8.2%, HYBE improved 3.2%, SM Entertainment added 2.8% and YG Entertainment rose 2.7%.

On the live front, Sphere Entertainment Co. fell 8.6% after its latest earnings showed a slowdown in revenue at its Sphere division, with Macquarie lowering the company’s price target to $45 from $47. And at MSG Entertainment (MSGE), shares dropped 6.8% to $40.00 after Bernstein reduced its MSGE price target to $44 from $45 earlier in the week.

Over at radio, Cumulus Media fell 19.3% to $0.71 after it reportedly conducted layoffs at stations in Central Pennsylvania, Indianapolis, Detroit and San Francisco as part of broader job cuts ahead of the holiday season — all on the heels of recent layoffs at competitor iHeartRadio. Elsewhere music streamer LiveOne dropped 12.4% to $0.78 this week.

Billboard
Billboard
Billboard

Elmo’s traveled from Sesame Street all the way to a chicken shop in London to go on a date with Amelia Dimoldenberg.

The Chicken Shop Date creator/stae has had dates with many famous faces in her 10-year journey to find love at the chicken shop — most recently, Andrew Garfield. (If you’re one to read the comments, you’ll know fans of both have been convinced he’s the one.)

Related

From the music world, Burna Boy, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Cher, Billie Eilish, Jack Harlow, Matty Healy, Rema, Rosalia, Ed Sheeran and SZA are among the many talented artists who’ve been to the chicken shop with Dimoldenberg. British rapper Ghettz was her first date, in 2014, for the series that’s become a short-form comedy hit on YouTube.

You might say she went for a different type for the latest episode of Chicken Shop Date.

Dimoldenberg invited Elmo, the lovable puppet from Sesame Street, out for a playdate version of one of her typical dates. She met with him at the chicken shop only to learn he doesn’t eat chicken, that he can match her deadpan delivery, and that he also has an innate talent for making the moment awkward.

“Does Elmo like nuggets?” she asks to open the episode, which dropped Friday (Nov. 15) on YouTube.

“Well, Elmo does vegetarian nuggets,” Elmo replies.

“Oh, you’re a vegetarian?” Amelia asks.

“Well, Elmo knows lots of chickens, you know. Elmo has friends that are chickens,” he says.

Elmo dishes the truth to his date about hugs (ask first), getting out of your head, and learning a word called “patience.” He also shouts out Beyoncé in hopes of bringing her to both Sesame Street and Chicken Shop Date — a move that Dimoldenberg warns him is desperate, before admitting that she’s desperate to be getting advice about romance from Elmo.

“What do you think Cookie Monster would make of chicken shops?” she wonders at another point.

“A mess,” Elmo says.

“Right,” says Amelia.

Watch Elmo on Chicken Shop Date below to see how the date went.

The tribute to Mexican legends Juan Gabriel, José José and Vicente Fernández at the 2024 Latin Grammys was worthy of a standing ovation. And that’s exactly what happened during the 25th anniversary of the awards ceremony on Thursday (Nov. 14).

The first to take center stage at the Kaseya Center were Reik and Leonel García, who honored superstar singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel, who died in 2015, performing his anthemic song “Hasta Que Te Conocí.” Their performance was so moving that it got people on their feet, and even Karol G was seen singing along emotionally.

Then it was Carlos Rivera and David Bisbal’s turn to take the stage and they didn’t disappoint. The pair sang evocatively the late José José’s iconic song “El Triste.” Then it was Alejandro Fernández’s turn to take the spotlight to honor his father, who passed in 2021, singing “No Me Sé Rajar,” giving the mariachi song a banda twist, and it really got everyone dancing along to his performance. Alejandro’s version of his dad’s classic will be part of his De Rey a Rey tribute album, set to be released next year.

One of the most exciting moments of the ceremony without a doubt, the crowd roared and applauded the three back-to-back performances, and stood throughout the entire set.

The 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammy Awards can be seen on Univision, Galavisión and ViX. The ceremony is set to feature performances from Alejandro Fernández, Becky G, Carín León, Eladio Carrión, Jon Bon Jovi, Kali Uchis and Residente, among others. For a second year in a row, songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera leads the list of nominees with nine nods. He is followed by superstars Karol G and Bad Bunny, who got eight mentions each. To see the updating list of winners, click here.

For more updates on performances, special awards and behind-the-scenes action from the night, check out Billboard.com.

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.

Cynthia Erivo’s exquisite nail art is inspired by Wicked. The Oscar-nominated actress, incorporates polishes from the OPI x Wicked collection to create her red-carpet nails.

Mycah Dior, Erivo’s nail artist, shared a breakdown of how she creates the showstopping, nail designs, which took four hours to create. “This whimsical set is inspired by Wicked of course. It brings Elphaba and Glinda’s worlds to life,” Dior explains of Erivo’s nails for the New York City premiere of Wicked, held at the Museum of Modern Art on Thursday (Nov. 14).

“Green and pink colors embody their contrasting personalities, with Elphaba’s vivid green skin and Glinda’s soft, light-hearted aura. Hand-sculpted, painted 3D eyes add a bold, mysterious element, while a hand-drawn clock captures the timeless magic of the story,” Dior continued. “Every detail adds to the enchanting, whimsical feel of this set.”

Cynthia Erivo's 'Wicked' nails

To bring the look to life, Dior used several colors from the Wicked collection including Witch O’Clock, Ozitively Elphaba, Let’s Rejoicify along with a few other OPI polishes: Mod About You, Alpine Snow and Black Onyx.

Nail art isn’t the only way the Tony-winning actress has paid homage to film’s pink and green theme. Erivo and co-star Ariana Grande have been wearing green and pink to represent their characters Elphaba and Glinda (Grande also uses products from her r.e.m. beauty x Wicked collection for her red-carpet glam).

Related

The musical adaptation starring Erivo, Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Marissa Bode and Jeff Goldblum, hits theaters on Friday (Nov. 22).

The Wicked x OPI collection is available at retailers such as Walmart, Amazon and Ulta Beauty.

Shop the collection below.

Cynthia Erivo's Nails Includes OPI's ‘Wicked’ Collection: Shop It Her

OPI Nail Lacquer, Wicked Nail Polish Duo Pack, 0.5 fl oz, 2 Pack


Cynthia Erivo's Nails Includes OPI's ‘Wicked’ Collection: Shop It Her

OPI Holiday 2024 Wicked Collection Nail Lacquer 0.50 oz – Let’s Rejoicify


Cynthia Erivo's Nails Includes OPI's ‘Wicked’ Collection: Shop It Her

OPI Holiday 2024 Wicked Collection Nail Lacquer 0.50 oz – Deflying Gravity


Cynthia Erivo's Nails Includes OPI's ‘Wicked’ Collection: Shop It Her

Opi x Wicked Mini Advent Calendar Nail Polish Set


English singer Charli XCX is getting ready to appear on Saturday Night Live once again this weekend, with the latest promo clip from the episode showing off her comedic touch.

The episode, which airs on Nov. 16, will be Charli’s third appearance, having served as musical guest during the Martin Freeman-hosted show in 2014 and Oscar Isaac’s episode in 2022. This time, however, will be the singer’s first pulling double duty as both host and musical guest.

As a result, she’s been showing off her more comedic side in the promo clips released ahead of the show, teaming up with SNL cast member Marcello Hernández for the latest series.

“Charli, I have a personal question to ask you,” Hernández queries the musician. “What’s your real name?”

“I never tell anyone this but it’s Charleston Ten One Hundred Ten,” responds Charli, whose real name is actually Charlotte Aitchison. “Wow, that’s amazing,” Hernández adds to a muted response. “I have a bit of a secret myself; my real name is Marcellonian Hernandingleheimer.”

Other brief appearances with Hernández include Charli promising the cast member that “the nation” will decide if his outfit is “brat” or “brong”, and noting that she’ll keep her final promo short, before offering a sly nod in Hernández’ direction.

Another clip released on Wednesday (Nov. 13) pokes fun at the ubiquitous ‘Brat summer’ phenomenon, that accompanied her culture-dominating album that dropped back in June.

The clips shows Charli seen going over her lines before SNL cast member Chloe Fineman joins her to express excitement over her joining the show. “Brat,” Charli responds, and continues to respond with the same one-word phrase for Fineman’s series of conversation starters, including asking how she’s feeling, inquiring about a rash and more.

Watch Charli XCX in the latest SNL promo below. Catch the full episode of Saturday Night Live on Nov. 16 at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC, before it streams on Peacock.

Weezer’s self-titled debut album, first released in 1994, returns to Billboard’s album charts (dated Nov. 16) following its 30th-anniversary deluxe reissue on Nov. 1. The set, referred to as the Blue Album due to its blue-colored cover, boasts the top 10-charting Alternative Airplay hits “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So.” For its anniversary, it was reissued across five vinyl variants (including a deluxe four-LP set), a deluxe three-CD set and a deluxe digital download edition. The deluxe vinyl, CD and download sets included a wealth of bonus tracks.

All versions of the album, old and new, are combined together for tracking and charting purposes. On the Top Album Sales chart, the set reaches the top 10 for the first time, re-entering at No. 10 with 8,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 7 (up 719%), according to Luminate. The album previously peaked at No. 16 in early 1995. With its delayed arrival to the top 10, the album marks the 14th top 10-charting effort for the band on Top Album Sales.

The Blue Album also re-enters at No. 3 on Indie Store Album Sales, No. 4 on Vinyl Albums, No. 10 on Top Alternative Albums, No. 13 on Top Rock Albums, No. 17 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 87 on the Billboard 200.

Elsewhere on the Top Album Sales chart, The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World debuts at No. 1, Jimmy Fallon’s Holiday Seasoning jingles in at No. 3, Skillet’s Revolution bows at No. 7 and the Saltburn soundtrack enters at No. 8.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units.

At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World arrives with 53,000 copies sold in its first week – marking the band’s best sales week since 2004. Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA falls 1-2 in its second week, with 44,000 sold (down 69%). Fallon’s first festive album, Holiday Seasoning, opens at No. 3 with 12,000 sold; it’s Fallon’s first top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales. Rounding out the top five is Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (jumping 16-4 with 11,000 sold; up 22%, following her turn on NBC’s Saturday Night Live on Nov. 2) and SEVENTEEN’s chart-topping SPILL THE FEELS (7-5 with nearly 11,000; down 40%).

Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet steps 13-6 (10,000; down 2%), Skillet snares its sixth top 10 with the debut of Revolution at No. 7 (nearly 10,000), the Saltburn soundtrack debuts at No. 8 (nearly 10,000; largely from vinyl sales), Jelly Roll’s former leader Beautifully Broken rises 11-9 (8,000; down 30%) and Weezer’s self-titled debut re-enters at No. 10.

Kali Uchis, Elena Rose and Emilia brought pure power and femininity to the 2024 Latin Grammys, where the three artists offered solo performances within the same musical number.

Uchis, nominated for four awards — including record of the year for “Igual que un Ángel” with Peso Pluma and best pop vocal album for Orquídeas — performed the ballad “Te Mata” in a romantic long dress decorated with flowers.

Elena Rose, in an elegant high-low white dress, sang a powerful version of her song of the year nominee “Caracas En El 2000,” moving the audience as she held a high note toward the end. The Venezuelan singer and songwriter received three nominations this year, including for best regional Mexican song as co-writer of “Por El Contrario” by Becky G with Ángela Aguilar and Leonardo Aguilar, and best pop/rock song for “Blanco y Negro” with LAGOS.

Emilia, nominated for best pop vocal album for .mp3, closed the number with a lively version of “No_se_ve.mp3,” accompanied by a group of dancers under turquoise lights.

Held at the Kaseya Center in Miami, the Latin Grammys ceremony, in its 25th annual edition, is broadcast live on Univision, Galavisión and ViX.

The ceremony is set to feature performances from Alejandro Fernández, Becky G, Carín León, Eladio Carrión, Jon Bon Jovi, Kali Uchis and Residente, among others. For a second year in a row, songwriter and producer Edgar Barrera leads the list of nominees with nine nods. He is followed by superstars Karol G and Bad Bunny, who got eight mentions each. To see the updating list of winners, click here.

For more updates on performances, special awards and behind-the-scenes action from the night, check out Billboard.com.