“This has been the biggest labor of love,” Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado says of the group’s latest seasonal album, Christmas in the City. “We’re all just really proud of it.”

The project, which the quintet began planning in January, was inspired by the magic of the holidays in New York and features a bevy of original songs as well as a host of Christmas classics.

On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), Pentatonix’s Maldonado and Matt Sallee join the show to chat about their new album (which marked the act’s 11th top 10 on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart), all things holiday music, and their current tour.

The concept of Christmas In the City was initially sparked by a holiday ornament that Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying spotted at a festive holiday market in New York, says Sallee. That led the group to put together the title track, and soon, the rest of the collection snowballed from there. (And, while the album’s genesis may be owed to the Big Apple, Sallee notes the group is “trying to bring joy” to “every city” with the album and the tour.)

“We really wanted to make this album feel like it was a classic Christmas album paying homage to the ‘40s and the ‘50s and it can live in those classic playlists,” says Sallee, “so that’s a big reason why we used different instrumentation [and] sonics.” Certainly the “classic” vibe is aided by how the album not only showcases Pentatonix’s soaring harmonies, but also boasts dozens of musicians playing live instruments.

Further, more than half of Christmas in the City consists of newly written tunes, with all five of Pentatonix’s members (Mitch Grassi, Hoying, Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Sallee) writing material on the effort. There are also some familiar favorites present, including “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver Bells” and a new take on “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” with the late, great Frank Sinatra (who died in 1998).

“They blessed us with his voice,” says Maldonado of the Frank Sinatra Estate, who let Pentatonix use a previously unreleased vocal take of Sinatra singing the Irving Berlin-penned standard. “This arrangement is perfectly what we wanted to achieve within this album too… I feel so proud of it. I love it so much.”

“I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm” also serves as the album’s first radio-promoted single, and the track jumps 12-9 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary airplay chart dated Dec. 6. It marks the eighth top 10 for Pentatonix and the 21st for Sinatra (and his first since 1980).

JoJo also joins Pentatonix on the album on one of the set’s new originals, “Snowing in Paris.” “She sounds so amazing” on the track, says Maldonado. “She’s so talented and so kind. We love her.” Sallee adds, “She’s so insanely talented and gifted as a vocalist. It’s one of those, like, whoa, speechless moments when you hear her singing on the track. It’s just so good.”

And it wouldn’t be Christmastime without a holiday tour from Pentatonix, as the group has mounted a seasonal trek yearly since 2017 (save for 2020, owed to the COVID-19 pandemic). This year’s tour, aptly titled the Christmas in the City Tour, launched on Nov. 8 and is slated to wrap on Dec. 22 in Fort Worth, Texas. The group will then mount a U.K. and European tour next year that is scheduled to start April 7 in Budapest and continue on through May 3 in Stockholm.

As Pentatonix has become a staple of the holiday touring season, Sallee says he can “recognize faces” of fans who have come to the show year after year. “We’re blessed to be able to be families’ traditions each year. … It’s just such a special, humbling gift that we’re something that could bring a family…together and listen to our music and come to a concert and just have a good time together.”

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Also on the podcast, we’ve got chart news on how there’s a brand-new No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 thanks to Stray Kids’ DO IT; how the Wicked: For Good soundtrack casts a spell on the charts; and how a legendary rock band returns to the Billboard 200 top 10 for the first time in over 10 years. Plus, hosts Katie and Keith chat about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, how holiday music is starting to take over the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and much more.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)  

Oak View Group (OVG) has officially named Chris Granger as CEO, elevating the veteran sports and live-entertainment executive after five months in the interim CEO role. The appointment is effective immediately.

Granger replaces former CEO and company founder Tim Leiweke, who was indicted earlier this year on federal bid-rigging charges related to the construction of the Moody Center in Austin. Company officials at OVG agreed to sign a non-prosecution agreement as part of the investigation into Leiweke, who has vowed to fight the charges in Texas federal court.

Granger’s promotion was announced Tuesday (Dec. 2) by OVG’s board of directors, with chairman Lee Wittlinger praising Granger’s steady hand during a transformative period for the company. “Chris’s performance during his tenure as Interim CEO has been exceptional,” Wittlinger said in a statement. “He seamlessly stepped into the role during a pivotal time and demonstrated tremendous leadership. Chris understands the entire ecosystem of sports and live entertainment and the Board is confident that he is the right executive to lead OVG into its next phase of global growth.”

Granger, who previously led OVG360, the company’s venue management and services division, has been key in opening up new business opportunities for OVG around arena development, large-scale hospitality expansion and growing the company’s international footprint.

OVG co-founder and senior partner Irving Azoff said “no one is better for the CEO job,” noting that Granger “is uniquely qualified to lead OVG as we continue to build it bigger and better. He shares our passion to deliver for all our clients, fans and artists.”

In a statement, Granger said he was honored to assume the role permanently. “I’d like to thank the Board for their confidence. I am honored to serve in this role and build upon an incredible foundation,” he said. “We will work tirelessly on behalf of our partners, we will root for one another, and we will lift the communities in which we operate. Let’s go.”

Granger brings more than 30 years of industry experience to the post. Before joining OVG in 2021, he served as group president of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings and worked as an executive for the Sacramento Kings and the NBA in senior roles. At the latter, he served as executive vp of team marketing and business operations. He began his career at Walt Disney World and holds degrees from Cornell University and Yale University.

Kendrick Lamar knows a thing or two about diss tracks — and it sounds like he won’t have to worry about one from Jussie Smollett anytime soon.

During an episode of Cam Newton’s Funky Fridays podcast over the weekend, the Empire star reflected on Lamar’s controversial 2022 “The Heart Part 5” music video, in which the rapper morphed into deepfaked versions of embattled Black male celebrities such as Smollett, Will Smith, O.J. Simpson, Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Nipsey Hussle.

“Maybe I’m completely naive, so don’t f—ing fill me in about anything… but I don’t know. I don’t know what Kendrick meant by the video. I really don’t,” Smollett said with a laugh. “I respect him as an artist, and that’s about as far as it can go. You ain’t going to see me putting out no diss track against him, I’m not doing that!”

When Lamar dropped “The Heart Part 5,” which won 2023 Grammys for best rap song and best rap performance, he neglected to provide a statement contextualizing the immediately divisive and intensely political music video. Given his selection of Black male celebrities battling various scandals, some viewers interpreted the Dave Free-co-directed video as a commentary on hypocrisy, fame and public perception. “Heart Part 5” earned additional Grammy nominations for best music video, as well as song and record of the year.

The music video, which also picked up two MTV Video Music Awards nods, arrived three years after Smollett was arrested for staging an alleged hate crime, sued by the city of Chicago, and sentenced to 150 days in jail. He ultimately served six days behind bars before being released on bond and having his conviction overturned in 2024. Due to the scandal, Empire writers removed Smollett’s character from the final two episodes of the series’ fifth season. Through the show, Smollett reached the Billboard Hot 100 with soundtrack singles such as “Keep Your Money” (No. 99), “You’re So Beautiful” (No. 47, with Yazz) and “Conqueror” (No. 42, with Estelle).

“Most people have made up their minds about what they want to believe,” the vocalist told Newton. “Either way, okay. Because at this point, my people know. My mother has always known. My siblings have always known. My love has always known.”

For his part, Lamar is up for another nine Grammy nominations at the 2026 awards show. At February’s ceremony, Lamar will contend in a slew of categories, including album of the year (GNX) and song and record of the year (“Luther,” with SZA). At the 2025 Grammys, the Pulitzer Prize winner took home five trophies for his searing Drake diss “Not Like Us.”

Watch Smollett’s full conversation with Cam Newton below.