“To be a visionary, not only do you have to have a vision but you have to have an unwavering belief and faith in that vision to make it happen. Don’t accept no. Understand that you are not too difficult. The job is just too difficult for them. God will put you in a position and connect you with people who are able to do the job.”

So declared newly minted four-time Grammy nominee Doechii as she accepted the Visionary Award from her mother Celesia Moore at the Give Her FlowHERS Awards Gala Friday evening (Nov. 8). Her empowering speech — in which Doechii also shared that she’s “recently sober … with a truly renewed spirit” — was just one of many inspirational moments that drew hearty cheers and shout-outs inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel’s packed ballroom at Femme It Forward’s third annual gala and fundraiser, presented by Live Nation. Additional sponsors included Spotify.

Also among the evening’s honorees were GloRilla and Jill Scott. GloRilla, who was also announced as a two-time Grammy nominee earlier in the day, was presented with the Big Femme Energy Award by actress LisaRaye McCoy.

“Shout out to God. Shout out to you all. Shout out to me,” GloRilla said in part. “I always live out of the three D’s: determination, dedication and diligence. And don’t let nobody tell you all what you all can’t do because at the end of the day, their sun won’t shine.”

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Jill Scott, recipient of the Muse Award, was paid tribute beforehand by gala host Saweetie — who was honored with the Give Her FlowHERS Award, recognizing an artist who embodies empowerment, resilience and cultural influence — and singer-songwriter Alex Isley.

“I have an office at my house where I write and read; I believe in inspiration,” said Scott. “So there’s literally a cacophony of extraordinary women, artists and entertainers on my wall. I look at them all the time because sometimes I get scared, sometimes I get paranoid to the point of paralysis where I don’t think I have enough. So I’m looking at these powerful entertainers and how brave, devoted and passionate [they are] about what they do. And I think, ‘I can do this just another day, maybe just another hour … It’s OK to be scared as long as you walk forward in the thing.”

Making a special surprise appearance at the top of the evening were Snoop Dogg and his wife Shante Broadus. They were presented with the Black Love Award by Femme It Forward president/CEO Heather Lowery. “There’s nothing like an award that brings your family, your backbone to the stage. This one here feels better than a Grammy,” noted Snoop, who’s had multiple Grammy nominations but no wins.

The evening’s additional honorees included Chloe + Halle (My Sister’s Keeper), Lady London (Self Love) and artist-songwriter Nija Charles (Pen It Forward). Also among the presenters was Grammy-winning singer-actress Andra Day. Integrated throughout the awards ceremony were segments honoring music and media executives who have served as mentors to young women through Femme It Forward’s sister organization Next Gem Femme. 

That circle of honorees — paid tribute by their Next Gem Femme mentees — featured COLTURE co-founder Jayne Andrew, Vydia/gamma. vp Lynne M. Scott, Tri-Star CEO Lou Taylor, MVD Inc. president/CEO Miatta Johnson, Amazon Music head of hip-hop and R&B Sierra Lever and CAA music agent Cheryl Paglierani. Funds donated to Next Gem Femme by audience members during the evening will go toward improving equity in the workplace and accelerating career opportunities and trajectories for young women of color.  

Explaining the mission behind Give Her FlowHERS in her opening remarks, Lowery — who also founded Next Gem Femme — told the room, “We see you and honor you. You are the reason we’re here tonight.” Quoting the message on notecards found at each place setting (“No rain, no flowers”), she added, “This is also about weathering the storm and planting your flowers. We can’t change the past, but we can rewrite the future.”

Kid Rock is celebrating Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election in his signature, over-the-top style.

The 53-year-old musician (real name: Robert James Ritchie) shared a video on Instagram Friday (Nov. 8), offering two distinct reactions to the election outcome: one from his larger-than-life onstage persona and another from his more laid-back, everyday self.

Titled “Official Election Reaction: Kid Rock vs. Bob Ritchie,” the approximately two-minute clip opens with the rocker’s infamous bad boy image. Stepping out in a fiery red jumpsuit, holding a cigar, and sporting a white MAGA hat, the rocker dramatically celebrates Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. In true Kid Rock fashion, he drops the mic, grabs his crotch, and flips off the camera.

The video then cuts to a more subdued Bob Ritchie moment, where the singer sheds his onstage persona in favor of a casual Detroit Tigers cap, plain white T-shirt, green shorts and a wrist brace. Sitting in a wooden chair, he adopts a more reflective tone as his 2017 anthem “American Rock ‘n Roll” plays in the background.

“First off, let me convey to my family, friends, and supporters that now is not the time to gloat,” the singer narrates, accompanied by imagery of American flags and neighborhood homes. “We must remember that most of our left-leaning friends are good people who want the same things in life that we do, but simply think differently about how to get there.”

The scene shifts to footage of Rock performing live as he declares, “It is now time to be the bigger man, to extend an olive branch, and unite all reasonable people of this great nation.”

The tone then turns more patriotic, with the video cutting to clips of Trump passionately shouting “fight” after his attempted assassination at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa.

“God has blessed America, and together with President Trump, we will make America great again,” Rock concludes.

The video closes with a teaser for the musician’s Rock the Country 2025 tour, a 10-date trek billed as “A Festival for We the People.” The tour launches April 4-5 in Livingston, La., and wraps July 25-26 in Anderson, S.C. Full lineup and venue details were not available at press time. See more details here.

In addition to Rock, Trump’s 2024 campaign garnered endorsements from notable figures such as country stars Jason Aldean and Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as celebrities including Amber Rose, Savannah Chrisley, Caitlyn Jenner, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk, Kanye West, Joe Rogan and Lil Pump.

Watch Kid Rock’s reaction to Trump’s election win on Instagram here.

The Weeknd is paying tribute to late actor Tony Todd.

On Friday (Nov. 8), the superstar singer honored the iconic actor, known for his roles in horror franchises Candyman and Final Destination, with a heartfelt post on his Instagram Story.

“A trailblazer,” the Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, wrote alongside a photo of Todd as Daniel Robitaille/the Candyman. “Rest well Tony Todd.”

Todd passed away on Wednesday (Nov. 6) following a long illness at his home in Marina del Rey, a neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was 69. The actor is best known for his portrayal of the sinister figure in Candyman (1992) and for his role in Final Destination (2000). He also appeared in the sequels of each movie.

Todd’s extensive filmography includes roles in Night of the Living Dead (1990), The Rock (1996), The Crow (1994), Hatchet (2006), The Man from Earth (2007), Frankenstein (2015), Hell Fest (2018), Requiem (2018), Hellblazers (2022), and The Bunker (2024), among others.

He also appeared in multiple Star Trek series, portraying Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as well as Alpha Hirogen in Star Trek: Voyager.

“The industry has lost a legend. We have lost a cherished friend. Rest in peace, Tony—Your Final Destination Family,” wrote New Line Cinema, the studio behind the Final Destination films, in a tribute shared on Instagram.

The Weeknd is no stranger to the horror genre himself. As previously reported, the singer’s upcoming psychological thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow will be distributed worldwide by Lionsgate. The film, directed by Trey Edward Shults, marks the Weeknd’s feature film debut and will also serve as an extension of his upcoming sixth studio album of the same name. Jenny Ortega and Barry Keoghan will also star in the movie.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is produced by The Weeknd’s production company, Manic Phase, along with his producing partner Reza Fahim (co-creator of The Idol) and the late Kevin Turen. Executive producers on the film include Ortega, Shults, Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, Ryan Kroft, The Weeknd’s manager Wassim “Sal” Slaiby, and Harrison Huffman.

See The Weeknd’s tribute to Tony Todd here.

Spotify rode a post-election wave of market enthusiasm to close above $400 for the first time on Friday (Nov. 8), valuing the music-streaming giant at nearly $80.5 billion. Before finishing at $400.68, up 4.1% for the week, the company’s stock reached an all-time high of $405.88. 

The Stockholm, Sweden-based company’s stock price has increased 113% in 2024 as the company overtook Universal Music Group (UMG) as the most valuable music company. When investors began to tire of high-growth streaming companies with little to show in profitability, Spotify underwent two major rounds of layoffs in 2023, helping reduce costs without sacrificing subscriber growth or revenue. With third-quarter earnings coming on Tuesday (Nov. 12), Spotify will show whether it has maintained that momentum. At least one analyst is optimistic ahead of earnings: Deutsche Bank raised its Spotify price target on Wednesday to $440 from $430.

U.S. stock markets soared this week following the election of Donald Trump on Tuesday (Nov. 5) and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision on Thursday (Nov. 7) to lower interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point. On Friday, the Nasdaq composite closed at an all-time high of 19,286.78, up 5.7%. The S&P 500 gained 4.7% to close at a record high of 5,995.54. China’s Shanghai Composite Index rose 5.5% to 3,452.30. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index improved just 0.7% to 2,561.15. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 fell 1.3% to 8,072.39.

The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index gained 2.4% to an all-time high of 2,043.02, bringing its year-to-date gain to 33.2%. The index had 13 stocks in positive territory while six lost ground and one was unchanged. 

The week’s top music stock was iHeartMedia, which jumped 16.7% to $2.44 after the company announced it will restructure much of its retiring debt and plans to save $200 million in 2025 through cost cuts and the embrace of technology. “Technology is the key to increasing our operating leverage and is a constant focus for us,” CEO Bob Pittman said during an earnings call on Thursday. “It allows us to speed up processes, streamline legacy systems and it enables our folks to create more, better and faster.” iHeartMedia shares are down 8.6% year to date but have risen 180% since May 24. 

LiveOne gained 15.6% to $0.89 per share after the music streamer announced that revenue increased 14% to $32.6 million and paid members rose 27% to 645,000 in its fiscal second quarter ended Sept. 30. Reservoir Media was another top gainer, improving 9.1% to $9.00.

On the live front, Live Nation shares rose 5.1% to $123.02 following a post-election day boost. The concert promoter is currently facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice but could find a better outcome from new appointments made by the Trump administration. The election wasn’t the only reason for the stock’s gains: Morgan Stanley upped its price target to $140 from $120 based on “a combination of strong underlying consumer demand and powerful artist incentives to tour,” analysts wrote in an investor note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank also increased its Live Nation price target to $130 from $122.

K-pop stocks surged this week despite HYBE and SM Entertainment both reporting sharp drops in profit last quarter due partly to weaker recorded music revenues. HYBE shares jumped 6.4% after the company reported a 99% drop in net income. Likewise, SM Entertainment gained 7.2% the same week the company announced quarterly net profit fell 96% on a 9% revenue decline and a 36% drop in recorded music revenue. Investors may have gained optimism from SM Entertainment’s announcement it will launch a new girl group — its first since aespa debuted five years ago — in 2025 with a single and album release in the first quarter. 

JYP Entertainment, which has not yet announced quarterly earnings, shot up 12.6%, and YG Entertainment continued its hot streak, rising 6.3% and bringing its gain in the last three weeks to 17.6%. YG has received a boost from the success of “APT” by ROSÉ featuring Bruno Mars. The song is currently in its second week atop both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. 

Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) shares rose 2.4% to $11.39 ahead of the company’s third-quarter earnings on Tuesday (Nov. 12). Bernstein initiated coverage of TME with a $14 price target. Barclays initiated coverage with an “overweight” rating and a $16 price target. 

German concert promoter CTS Eventim was the worst-performing music stock of the week, dropping 10.4% to 87.70 euros ($94.05). The company will release third-quarter results on Nov. 21. Elsewhere, Cumulus Media dropped 6.4% to $0.88, adding to the prior week’s 19% decline, while SiriusXM dropped 5.5% to $26.13. 

Even though Beyoncé made history when the 2025 Grammy nominations were announced on Friday (Nov. 8), she turned the spotlight to another “queen” — Linda Martell.

Martell is nominated for best melodic rap performance alongside her and Shaboozey with “Spaghetti” from Beyoncé’s eighth studio album Cowboy Carter. Outside of “Spaghetti,” the pioneering country artist delivered another spoken-word segment on “The Linda Martell Show” from the same album. “Congratulations to my queen Linda Martell on your nomination and your contribution to Country Music,” Queen Bey wrote on Instagram while sharing an old picture of the singer.

Martell told Billboard in May that she was “very, very glad” to be featured on Cowboy Carter and added that she appreciated the attention Beyoncé had brought to her music.

Beyoncé earned 11 nominations for the 67th annual Grammys, making her the most nominated artist in the show’s history – breaking out of a tie with her husband Jay-Z. She’s up for record and song of the year and best country song with her two-week Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Texas Hold ‘Em,” album of the year and best country album with Cowboy Carter, best pop solo performance with “Bodyguard,” best pop duo/group performance with “Levii’s Jeans” (featuring Post Malone), best melodic rap performance with “Spaghetti” (featuring Martell and Shaboozey), best country solo performance with “16 Carriages,” best country duo/group performance with “II Most Wanted” (featuring Miley Cyrus), and best Americana performance with “Ya Ya.”

She now has a total 99 nominations, and Billboard broke down all of them here. In 2023, when she took home four trophies, she made history for becoming the most-decorated artist with 32 Grammys, beating the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti who previously held the record with 31 Grammys.

See Beyoncé’s celebratory post below.