Tate McRae had two big surprises in store for the fans at her Madison Square Garden concert in New York City Thursday (Aug. 22): duetting with her boyfriend, fellow pop star The Kid Laroi, and premiering a new song.

When Laroi first joined his girlfriend on stage, he wrapped her in a big hug and prompted cheers from the audience by pulling her in for a kiss. The couple then sang an acoustic, stripped-back version of the Australian rapper-singer’s 2021 hit “Without You,” with McRae telling the crowd it was their “first time singing together,” according to People.

“You cut out a piece of me, and now I bleed internally/ Left here without you,” they sang, sitting next to each other on a set of steps. “And it hurts for me to think about what life could possibly be like/ Without you, without you.”

At another point in the show — which comes midway through McRae’s Think Later World Tour — the Canadian singer-songwriter debuted a brand new track, a clip of which she posted on TikTok. “Premiered a new song at my headline sold out MSG show,” she wrote in text over the video, which finds her dancing along to the song’s outro as white confetti rains down on the stage floor.

She also shared a snippet of an unreleased song on TikTok, dancing along to its fierce lyrics with a group of friends. “It’s okay, I’m okay, I don’t really gotta say, it’s okay,” she sings on the dance tune. “You can have him anyway.”

“so good,” commented McRae’s pal Olivia Rodrigo.

The teaser comes nearly nine months after the “Greedy” artist dropped her album Think Later, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. She has several months left to go on her global trek in support of the record, with shows scheduled through November.

Watch clips from McRae’s surprise-filled Madison Square Garden concert below.

@tatequalityy

SO CUTE #tatemcrae #fyp #thekidlaroi

♬ original sound – tatequalityy

Tate McRae & The Kid Laroi singing “Without You” Together ❤️ pic.twitter.com/C9fEvgY913

— Tate McRae Tour & Updates (@t8mcraetours) August 23, 2024

@tatemcrae

Last night was a dream

♬ original sound – tate mcrae

@tatemcrae

Oh shit we’re back

♬ Its ok Im ok – tate mcrae

Whether he’s working with Oscar winners like Natalie Portman on hit streaming series or teaming up with pop icons like Beyoncé for bombastic comeback performances, composer and songwriter Marcus Norris enters every space with his entire self. And his understanding of himself is intrinsically tied to the vast expanse of Blackness. 

Hailing from Jackson, MI — just outside Detroit – and having spent some years in both Chicago and Los Angeles, Norris honed his musical ear and compositional style in three key hubs of Black American music history. Hip-hop is his foundation, with FruityLoops providing him his first entry point into music production. The spirit of the genre courses through all of his projects, from the funky grit of his Southside Symphony to the ominous swagger of his work on Apple TV’s latest hit drama, Lady in the Lake. 

Starring Portman, Emmy nominee Moses Ingram, Noah Jupe, Y’lan Noel, Wood Harris and David Corenswet, Lady in the Lake follows an investigative journalist (Portman) who leaves her abusive husband to solve the mystery of two separate murders that cause her to cross paths with a young woman working to advance Baltimore’s Black community (Ingram). Set in the 1960s, earthy jazz chords and echoes of the blues reverberate across his score, adding both gravity and levity to the series’ plot whenever necessary. 

Television is a new medium for Norris, but he approaches Lady in the Lake with the same consideration and verve that he brings to live concert orchestrations, like his work with WACO Theater’s annual Wearable Art Gala and Beyoncé’s 2023 Dubai performance. Often his work must balance joy with pain and pride with solemn self-reflection, and it’s a feat that he enjoys pulling off time and time again. 

“Complex emotions and music aren’t difficult, because that’s how people work,” Norris says. “You’re never just one emotion. That’s just the way the human experience is. It’s never hard to translate that through music because that’s how our brains work.” 

Billboard caught up with Norris to break down his Lady in the Lake score, his favorite rap beats and producers of the year, and how he helped Beyoncé’s stunning Dubai performance come to life.

You started out producing rap beats on pirated software. What was the software you were using? Were you simply trying to recreate beats that you loved or were you already creating original pieces? 

It was called FruityLoops at the time, [but] they rebranded to FL Studio. I was doing both original [beats] and trying to recreate things. It was kind of like a diary for me. I was just making beats and I wasn’t even showing anybody for a year or two. It was my way of processing things.  

If I liked something, I would try to recreate it in FruityLoops to try to figure out how they made those sounds. How did how did Dr. Dre get his drums to sound like that? How did Lil Jon get his sounds to sound like that? I tell all the young producers, “We didn’t have YouTube tutorials back then, you had to just mess with things until you figured it out.” 

What were you listening to when you were growing up? 

My mom is a huge Mary J. Blige fan. I loved Dr. Dre, Tupac, West Coast G-funk. I lived in the South for a year, so UGK too. 

Do you return to any of those touchpoints when you’re crafting new compositions? 

100%. One of my mentors once told me that you are a synthesis of everything that you listen to. I absorb everything and then it kind of comes out as hopefully one cohesive language. 

How did you transition into concert composition? 

I grew up low income, so I had to piece together all of my early starts to music that we were talking about. I didn’t plan to go to college, but after high school, they gave us a two-year free scholarship to a community college. I scoured the Internet and found one that had anything related to music recording. While I was there, I went to Schoolcraft College in Livonia, MI, outside of Detroit.  

While I was there, they made me take music theory and music history. I was exposed to whole styles of music that I had never really been exposed to before. I was bit by the bug I started, [and] studying every piece of music theory I could find, learning more about history and how to write and listen to music. When I was moving to Chicago, I was originally going to go for audio production, but at the last minute, I decided to go for composition, and I just kept doing it ever since. 

Did you have any film or TV compositions that have stuck over the years? 

When I was a kid, I would say the old Alice in Wonderland. There’s just constant music. I think it has the most musical numbers in any Disney film. And also The Nightmare Before Christmas with Danny Elfman. I would just watch those back-to-back. I know my mom was sick of it. [Laughs.] 

What made you say yes to Lady in the Lake? 

[Director] Alma [Ha’rel] and how specific her vision was. I always say I’m interested in the interesting and it’s such an interesting project. Sometimes in modern TV, music has to be very, very background. I joke that music has to be like wallpaper on some things where you don’t quite notice it, but Alma didn’t want that from the jump. She wanted something that was going to be interesting, and she kept using [the word] “iconic.” I’m attracted to these musical puzzles where there are very specific considerations that you have to balance. 

The show is set in 1960s Baltimore. What artists and records did you use as reference points for that era? 

A lot of Nina Simone. I think Cab Calloway is the best performer of all time. I model what I do with Southside Symphony a lot after Cab Calloway. Alma came to me with Nina Simone and talked about her a lot, so I knew that was a touchpoint for it.  

When it comes to creating that eerie ambiance, are there any musical hallmarks you shy away from because they might be too cliché? 

I just go on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes you can do a familiar thing in an unfamiliar context and that kind of helps. I think when you’re doing the same thing in the same way, that’s when it [becomes] an issue.  

For this score specifically, we did try some weird things. We took a trumpet and put it underwater and that was cool. A lot of the sounds that people hear are actually familiar, like breathing or whistling. Usually, you might whistle a happy tune or something, but here it’s kind of creepy. 

Ms. Tina Knowles selected you to music direct the 2022 Wearable Art Gala. What was that experience like, especially working with artists like Chloe x Halle and Andra Day? 

It was amazing. Ms. Tina is another visionary. It was inspiring to help her bring that vision to life, and I’ve been working with the WACO theater family for some years. I was honored to have the chance to do this on the biggest thing that they had done at [the] time. Working with Chloe x Halle was amazing, [likewise with] Andra Day and Adrienne Warren. 

You also got a chance to work with Beyoncé herself for her 2023 Dubai performance. If there were any challenges, what were the biggest ones with bringing that particular set to life? 

Just the timing and how quick the turnaround is, but I’ve noticed that that’s all of the music industry. That’s the film and TV industry too, that’s just what being a professional is. It was a very quick turnaround.  

Funnily enough, I didn’t actually get to go to Dubai! I did some work for them before they went over there, but the reason I couldn’t go to Dubai was because we were recording the Southside Symphony live mixtape at the same at Ms. Tina’s theater, and she had set it up for us. If it was any other thing in the world, I would have quit and [gone] to Dubai. But it’s like… her mom’s totally gonna know! 

What specific orchestrations did you contribute to? 

One that was really inspiring for me and kind of a full-circle moment was the arrangement I did for Schubert’s “Ave Maria.” In the [late] 2000s, she did a remix of “Ave Maria,” but she actually did Schubert’s “Ave Maria” in Dubai. I remember thinking, “What an amazing artist.” She’s doing this just to show you she can do it. She doesn’t have to do this, [she’s] already Beyoncé and could take her victory lap. But she’s still pushing it further.  

As somebody who draws from so many influences, being able to orchestrate Schubert’s “Ave Maria” for Beyoncé just felt like I was in the right place at the right time. It was a Slumdog Millionaire moment for me. 

When did you start working on the Dubai set? 

I think [I started] in January of 2023. I was back in the Midwest for the holidays and at the same time, I’m finishing my PhD. I still had to do my defense, so I’m not even done with school. I was getting ready for the live mixtape recording and another film, and Ms. Tina called me directly and said, “Marcus, what are you up to these days?” Knowing all these things that I have going on, I just flat out lied like, “Nothing!” She’s like, “Beyoncé is working on this project and I told her I just really think she needs you on that.” She asked me if I would be interested, and I was like, “Of course!” 

My part was very short. I got to sprinkle some things on top and I was just so honored to be a part of such an exciting and inspiring experience. 

When did you first start working with Ms. Tina on the Wearable Art Gala? 

I’ve been scoring plays at the WACO theater in North Hollywood since 2018. I remember the first time I talked with Miss Tina, we did the very first Southside Symphony concert there in 2020.  

The first time I spoke with her more directly was about a little play [the theater] did. I loved working on it, we worked on the music for weeks and weeks. She came up to me afterward – this was when she didn’t direct, she just did the costumes or something for it – and she was like, “I just want you to know they did this play a few years ago, and it wasn’t as good without you.” I just remember thinking, “Ms. Tina, do you know who your children are?” [Laughs]. You can’t say that to people, it’s going to go to my head! At this point, the whole WACO theater is really like family. 

What was the biggest challenge for you in composing a TV series versus a concert? What’s one upside that you weren’t anticipating? 

I think the biggest challenge on a brand new TV series is that you’re still figuring out what the thing is. The composer’s job is to balance all of these different viewpoints and find a way to make them singular. There are studios, the director, writers, producers, and my musicians and engineers, and all of these different elements. I have to hear all of those and then put them into one singular idea versus the concert I just say, “Hey, this is going to sound great.” Bam, thumbs up. 

Every composer who makes it to this point is really good at making music, that’s the easy part. It’s more about how you navigate all of these different personalities. And that’s also the upside, working in that collaborative way. Hopefully, when it goes well, it’s bigger than the sum of its parts. I definitely feel like I got a good workout on that muscle, and I’m excited to do more. 

Who are your favorite rap producers or your favorite beats you’ve heard this year? Who are your favorite composers across mediums from this year? 

I think Tay Keith has never made a bad beat. I really like Tricky Stewart, even though he’s R&B. I’m a big fan of him and The-Dream, those are some of my dream collaborators. I  think they make timeless music. Bryan-Michael Cox is another R&B one. I love the “Euphoria” beat from Kendrick [Lamar]. It goes on these different journeys. My dream is to play “Euphoria” with Southside Symphony just for L.A. 

For composers across the board, John Williams is our God. I really like Bernard Herrmann, I feel like I’m very influenced by him as far as my scores go. [Maurice] Ravel is probably one of my favorite orchestrators, I think he’s just a master. I kind of go through these phases where I’m obsessed with a composer or a genre, and I spend a lot of time with it. Right now I’m in a Rimsky-Korsakov phase. I said that Cab Calloway is my favorite performer of all time, a very close second is James Brown. I’ve been listening to Soul on Top right now, those horns are just magic. 

Welcome to another edition of Executive Turntable, Billboard’s comprehensive(ish) compendium of promotions, hirings, exits and firings — and all things in between — across music. While you’re here, we also have a weekly interview series spotlighting a single executive and a regularly updated gallery honoring many of the industry figures we’ve lost throughout the year.

Warner Music welcomed seasoned artist manager and marketer Oscar Scivier as its Hong Kong-based senior director of A&R for Asia. The label said Scivier will work closely with regional management on developing A&R strategies, plus support WMG’s over-arching vision to introduce local artists to global audiences. Scivier was most recently head of music at Digital Arts and Sciences, which followed a five-year run at First Access Entertainment, where he A&R’d Rita Ora, Madison Beer, DJ Regard and others. He also made earlier stops at Ultra Music, working with Steve Aoki, Kygo, OMI and Benny Benassi, and Three Six Zero, where he day-to-day’d Deadmau5 and Michael Woods. “Adding Oscar to our worldwide A&R team strengthens our ability to swiftly seize artist development opportunities and reaffirms WMG’s commitment to providing the best platform for the most impactful and popular talent,” said Kabiru Bello, vp of global A&R at Warner Recorded Music. “His wide-ranging experience as a producer, label manager and artist manager will make him a superb addition to our company’s leading team of A&R executives.”

Stern Management secured the services of industry veteran Marisa Jeffries in the newly created role of general manager. She’ll work closely with the company’s roster, which includes The Black Angels, Phosphorescent, Metric, Finn Wolfhard and others. Jeffries was most recently U.S. lead of label partnerships at TikTok, where she nailed down opportunities for the likes of Taylor Swift, Rosalia, Steve Lacy and Omar Apollo — quality work that earned her a spot on Billboard‘s Women in Music list in 2023. Earlier in her career, Jeffries drove marketing strategy for Sony Music’s catalog division and prior to TikTok she spent five-plus years working label relations at SoundCloud. “I have been constantly inspired by Marisa and her community of colleagues and friends who break artists in new and inventive ways,” said Stern Management founder Nick Stern. “Her superpower has always been drawing out the best in people and building long-lasting partnerships founded on trust, excitement and a love for doing cool things.”

Universal Music Sweden tapped Mattias Caliste to lead the newly launched Def Jam Recordings Sweden. The label’s opening roster includes Asme x Sarettii, Sebastian Stakset and Zikai. His team will include Hamid Jamshidi, Hermon Alemseghed and Mathilda Sachs, plus UMG’s regional and global network. Caliste is a former member of Swedish hip-hop group Fjärde Världen (Fourth World) and was most recently in charge of Virgin Music Sweden, where he worked with artists including 23 and Asme. “Def Jam raised me!” Caliste said. “I grew up on artists like Public Enemy, EPMD, LL Cool J, Redman & Method Man, Warren G and many others who all released some of their most outstanding albums under Def Jam. The label has a legacy that is incredibly important for hip hop as both a genre and a subculture.”

Stern Management secured the services of industry veteran Marisa Jeffries in the newly created role of general manager. She’ll work closely with the company’s roster, which includes The Black Angels, Phosphorescent, Metric, Finn Wolfhard and others. Jeffries was most recently U.S. lead of label partnerships at TikTok, where she nailed down opportunities for the likes of Taylor Swift, Rosalia, Steve Lacy and Omar Apollo — quality work that earned her a spot on Billboard‘s Women in Music list in 2023. Earlier in her career, Jeffries drove marketing strategy for Sony Music’s catalog division and prior to TikTok she spent five-plus years working label relations at SoundCloud. “I have been constantly inspired by Marisa and her community of colleagues and friends who break artists in new and inventive ways,” said Stern Management founder Nick Stern. “Her superpower has always been drawing out the best in people and building long-lasting partnerships founded on trust, excitement and a love for doing cool things.”

Jake Owen and Keith Gale launched Good Company Entertainment Records, a label and artist services appendage of their management company of the same name (sans the ‘Records’ part). GCE Records aims to provide marketing services, digital and creative tools, global distribution and management services for new and established artists, including first signing Styles. “GCE Records is an alternative model to introduce artists and new music,” explained Gale. “Providing key services similar to that of the traditional record label, but dissimilar to the label structure in various facets, our artist partners and their teams have the creative freedoms to remain true to their unique brand of music that sets them apart.”

Chris Walters is now chief financial officer of Gateway Studios & Production Services, a St. Louis-based live events company that provides lighting, audio and high-tech video services for artists and festivals including Phish, Greta Van Fleet, Governors Ball, Professional Bull Riders and more. The “Studios” part of the company’s name refers to the massive, 330,000 square-foot tour and live event rehearsal campus it is currently building in STL’s Chesterfield Valley area. When online, the facility will house five separate studio spaces where events and tours destined for small theaters, stadiums and everything in between can be produced and rehearsed from soup to nuts before hitting the road. Walters has been at Gateway since 2021, following a six-year run at Emerson Automation Solutions.

Top Drawer Merch elevated Robbie McPhail to vp of sales. As part of his new role, McPhail will take lead on sales strategies for both e-commerce and in-person festival/tour merchandising, plus oversee logistics, inventory and shipping matters. McPhail joined Los Angeles-based TDM in 2016, working on-site operations at festivals such as Cali Vibes, Portola, Invisible Friends and dozens more. “His experience behind the booth gives him a unique perspective on which sales strategies are successful and which initiatives need to be implemented in the future,” the company said.

Brett Kaminsky was made partner at Felcher & Freifeld LLP, where the Cardozo School of Law grad has posted up for nearly 11 years. Most recently a senior associate, Kaminsky handles a broad swath of legal matters for F&F’s recording artists, songwriters, producers, managers and entertainment executives, including contract negotiations, licensing and branding matters and performance agreements.

Charlotte-based live events management and production company Midwood Entertainment has Joel Grubb as talent buyer and event producer. Grubb previously served as a promoter at Rival Entertainment in Atlanta, managing outdoor and special events at venues including Sweetland Amphitheatre and Chandler Park Music Festival, and contributing to booking shows at Rival’s venues including Eddie’s Attic and The Earl. In his new role, Grubb will oversee booking for a variety of venues, festivals, concert series, and special events across the southeast and beyond. Grubb also played a key role in developing/curating the indie rock festival Highball. –Jessica Nicholson

Agua Caliente Casinos hired Nick Sitar as the chain’s new director of entertainment. Based in Rancho Mirage, Calif. and reporting to Saverio Scheri, COO, Sitar is tasked with booking artists at all three of ACC’s properties in California. Prior to joining the company, he served as regional director of entertainment programming at Caesars Entertainment, where he handled bookings at all of the company’s non-Vegas properties.

ICYMI:

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Christoph Behm was named the new CEO of Sony Music Germany, Switzerland and Austria (GSA), replacing Patrick Mushatsi-Kareba, who is exiting the company at the end of August … Jonathan Roberts will spearhead UTA‘s new Christian music division … and former Billboard editorial director Bill Werde will lead Syracuse University‘s new master’s degree in music business as part of the school’s prestigious Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries.

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Last Week’s Turntable: Warner Chappell Promotes Zach Bryan’s A&R Guy

Taylor Swift gave shout-outs to two of her friends Friday (Aug. 23), praising both Sabrina Carpenter‘s new album Short n’ Sweet as well as Zoë Kravitz‘s film Blink Twice on Instagram Stories.

Of her former Eras tour mate, the pop superstar wrote: “Short. Sweet. Has made an extraordinary album.”

Sharing a photo of her posing with Carpenter at a Kansas City Chiefs game in October, Swift also gave followers a call to action. “Go support our girl!!” she wrote.

The “Espresso” singer dropped her sixth studio album Friday, featuring the Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “Please Please Please” and new single “Taste,” for which she also offered a music video costarring Jenna Ortega. The project comes more than five months after Carpenter concluded her run as Swift’s opener on the Eras Tour’s Latin American, Asian and Australian dates.

Reposting Swift’s praise on her own Story, the Girl Meets World alum simply wrote, “:’) ily.”

Also on Instagram, the “Anti-Hero” artist raved about Blink Twice, Kravitz’s directorial debut starring the Batman star’s fiancé, actor Channing Tatum. “This film is incredible,” Swift wrote, sharing the psychological thriller’s poster. “Thrilling, twisted, wickedly funny, and visually stunning. The performances are phenomenal.”

“Zoe Kravitz conceptualized this, wrote it, obsessed over every detail, and directed it with such a clear and bold vision,” Swift continued of her friend. “I’m so blown away by what she’s accomplished here and I can’t wait to watch everyone discover this film and this brilliant filmmaker.”

The 14-time Grammy winner’s post comes a few days after Tatum shared a sweet video of his and Kravitz’s date night at one of Swift’s Wembley Eras Tour shows. “The love is real and @taylorswift13 is an absolute force!” he captioned the clip, which showed him kissing the actress on the cheek as she danced along to “Shake It Off.”

Swift and Kravitz have been close friends for years, and even collaborated on the former’s Midnights track “Lavender Haze.” In 2022, the Divergent alum told GQ that she and the “Karma” artist were in each other’s quarantine pods, with Swift telling the publication: “Zoë’s sense of self is what makes her such an exciting artist, and such an incredible friend. She has this very honest inner compass, and the result is art and life without compromising who she is.”