Sara Landry, Aluna, Kaleena Zanders & More Win 2025 Femmy Awards: Full Winners List

The inaugural Femmy Awards kicked off in high style and spirit Thursday (March 27) in Miami.

Happening amid the many (many) events of Miami Music Week, the awards were put on by Femme House, the nonprofit founded by LP Giobbi and Lauren Spalding that works to create and celebrate equity in the music industry by amplifying voices of women, femme, gender-expansive LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC creators.

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The afternoon ceremony took place on the waterfront patio at Palm Tree Club, the hotel opened by Kygo and his manager and Myles Shear this past December. In the sunshine and bay breezes, LP and Spaulding presented a variety of awards honoring artists, party brands, festivals, execs and other members across the dance music industry.

The event started with moving speeches by Barbara Tucker and Crystal Waters, who were honored with the Voice of House award for the prolific contributions they’ve made to the genre over the years. So too were DJ Minx and DJ Lady D each honored with the Pioneer Award for their everything they’ve each done to break barriers, reshape the dance and electronic music industries and pave the way for femme, non-binary, and LGBTQ+ artists.

The event also presented awards to a flurry of other artists, with Kaleena Zanders and Aluna Francis winning for best live performance, Coco & Breezy winning the Carolyn Horn Trailblazer Award (named for LP Giobbi’s longtime piano teacher who passed away in 2023), TSHA winning for best producer, Xandra being honored with the Rising Star Award and Sara Landry getting the award for producer of the year.

The ceremony also honored a number of executives, with WME’s head of electronic music Stefanie LaFera getting the Theresa Velasquez Award for Outstanding Executive award and WME’s Bailey Greenwood winning for agent of the year. Billboard was the official media sponsor of the event.

See the complete winners list below.

2025 Ally Award: Le Chev
2025 Breakthrough Artist: Alleycvt
2025 Most Diverse Festival: Lightning in a Bottle
2025 Theresa Velasquez Award for Outstanding Executive: Stephanie LaFera
2025 Ableton Instructor of the Year: Mini Bear
2025 Pass the Mic Media Award: DJ Mag
2025 Pass the Mic Media Award: Billboard
2025 Carolyn Horn Trailblazer Award: Coco & Breezy
2025 Femme House Community Member of the Year: Shak Jackson
2025 Best Live Performance: Kaleena Zanders + Aluna Francis @ Planet Pride

2025 Best Radio Mix: DJ Holographic
2025 Album of the Year: Sofi Tukker, Bread
2025 Best Sound Designer: Tokimonsta
2025 Best Producer: TSHA
2025 Best Vocalist: Kaleena Zanders
2025 Best Engineer: Jayda Love
2025 Best Mixer: Laura Sisk
2025 Sonic Innovator Award: FKA Twigs
2025 Best Visual Experience: The Blessed Madonna
2025 Best Visual Experience: Nora En Pure
2025 Activist & Impact Award: She Is the Music
2025 Culture Shifter Award: Ronny Ho
2025 Best Music Journalist: Katie Bain
2025 Best Record Label: HE.SHE.THEY.
2025 Manager of the Year: Julia Fugazy
2025 Agent of the Year: Bailey Greenwood
2025 Hospitality Visionary Award: Carly Van Sickle
2025 Talent Booker: Heather Church
2025 Best Club: Elsewhere
2025 Icon Award: Honey Dijon
2025 Song of the Year: Desiree, “Khuluma Nami”
2025 Creative Director of the Year: Sophie Muller
2025 Best Underground Promoter: Girls Room
2025 For the Culture Award: Interna$hional Bounce
2025 Voice of House Honoree: Barbara Tucker
2025 Voice of House Honoree: Crystal Waters
2025 Rising Star Honoree: Xandra
2025 Producer of the Year Honoree: Sara Landry
2025 Pioneer Award Honoree: DJ Lady D
2025 Pioneer Award Honoree: Minx

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Miley Cyrus Notches Two More Platinum Hits With ‘Flowers’ & ‘Used to Be Young’

Miley Cyrus has upped her platinum records to 23. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), her two hits, “Flowers” and “Used to Be Young,” have been certified 7x platinum and platinum, respectively.

A platinum certification recognizes one million equivalent song units earned. One equivalent song unit, as recognized by the RIAA, is equal to: one digital song sale, or 150 on-demand audio and/or video streams. The RIAA revamped its Gold & Platinum Awards Program on Feb. 1, 2016, growing from a pure sales certification process to one that includes tracks and streams.

In addition to her 23 platinum records, Cyrus also has a diamond song, with her 2010 hit “Party in the U.S.A.” selling or streaming a total of 10 million units in the United States.

Widely believed to have been written about her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, “Flowers” appeared on Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, which dropped in March 2023. The track spent a total of eight weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100, while the album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

At the 2024 Grammys, “Flowers” also won Cyrus her first two Grammys: best pop solo performance and record of the year. She performed the hit at her ceremony, celebrating her win.

Meanwhile, the introspective “Used to Be Young,” looks back on her growth over the course of her career. Watch the music videos for both tracks below.

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Gorillaz Confirm New Album to Arrive This Year

Just over two years since the arrival of their last record, English virtual band Gorillaz have confirmed that a new album will be arriving in 2025.

Word of the forthcoming LP was shared by frontman Damon Albarn in a nascent interview with French publication Les Inrockuptibles, where the prolific artist also touched on the premiere of his new opera, The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction, alongside his plans for the rest of the year.

“I’m finishing a new Gorillaz album,” Albarn explained. “One opera and one new Gorillaz album seems like enough for 2025! Unless someone accuses me of taking my foot off the gas!”

Albarn’s Gorillaz collaborator Jamie Hewlett reportedly confirmed the news, with an Instagram account focused on the band sharing a DM from the musician in which he stated, “Yes, the new album is coming out this year.” That same post also noted that Albarn confirmed to a French podcast the record would be completed in “6 more weeks.”

The current influx of French press from Albarn shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially given that his new opera premiered at Paris’ Théâtre du Lido on Thursday (March 27), and will run until Sunday (March 30). The production is a rather ambitious one, with The Magic Flute II: La Malédiction serving as the sequel to Mozart’s 1791 opera, The Magic Flute.

“The idea of me writing an opera and for it to be a continuation of The Magic Flute sounds ridiculous, it was and is, not only was I grappling with the genius of Mozart but I had Goethe to contend with too!!” Albarn said in a statement. “I suppose I took a relatively reductionist approach to the question, how the fuck do I do this? The answer came from a surprising source but one no less brilliant, Kraftwerk.”

Gorillaz last released a new album in 2023, with Cracker Island serving as their eighth record. It peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for best alternative music album at the 2024 Grammys.

Albarn has remained busy since the release of the latest Gorillaz record, with Blur releasing The Ballad of Darren – their first album in eight years – in July 2023. It peaked at No. 94 on the Billboard 200 (their lowest-charting release since 1995) and hit No. 5 on the Top Alternative Albums chart, and would become their seventh consecutive release to top the U.K. charts.

Meanwhile, neither Gorillaz nor Blur have not made their return to the stage for some time, with the former not appearing live since the 2023 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, and the latter not performing since the 2024 edition of the same event.

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Abbey Road Reopens Studio One Following Extensive Restoration

LONDON – Abbey Road has announced the reopening of Studio One following an extensive restoration to the iconic recording studio space. The room closed in late 2024 for the first time in its history to allow for the work to take place.

On Thursday night (March 27), the studio celebrated the reopening with an event Synergy In Motion, which combined contemporary dance and music in a unique event. The choreography was helmed by Royal Ballet choreographer Joseph Toonga and set to the film scores of composer Daniel Pemberton (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), remixed and arranged by Jordan Rakei, Abbey Road’s Artist in Residence.

The studio has now reopened and is in operation for recording sessions.

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Studio One is described by the north-west London studio as “world’s largest purpose-built recording studio,” and can comfortably host 100-piece orchestras. The room is primarily used for the recording of classical and movie scores, with the soundtracks to a number of blockbusters having been recorded in in the space, including much of John Williams’ oeuvre, such as Raiders of The Lost Ark, Star Wars: The Return of The Jedi, as well as the Harry Potter movies. Earlier this month, on March 18, the studio hosted a one-off concert to celebrate the film scores recorded in the space over the past 45 years, including The Last Emperor, The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Skyfall, The Shape of Water, Barbie, Black Panther and more.

The room has also been used by a variety of contemporary musicians in recent years, including Harry Styles, U2, Noel Gallagher, Little Simz, Sam Smith and Celeste.

In a statement, Abbey Road’s managing director Sally Davies said, “The reopening of Studio One sees Abbey Road embrace a renewed energy that not only honours our legacy but also looks forward to the future. Last night’s multidisciplinary Synergy In Motion celebration was the perfect way to usher in this new era, with an evening that championed innovation and creativity at every turn.”

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The refurbishment includes the replacing of the 20-year old 72-channel AMS Neve 88RS SP2 recording console with an 84-channel AMS Neve 88RS SP3D recording console, and extensive acoustic treatment and the installation of new fabric. The live room – where the musicians play – has seen the introduction of 10 rows of wool serge, as well as the integration of 3 rows of 9 LED pendants to increase visibility. 

The premises was first built as a residential townhouse in 1831, and was converted into a recording studio a century later, reopening as EMI Studios in 1931. A number of classical greats including Edward Elgar and Sergei Prokofiev recorded there; in 1958, Studio Two was opened, with a number of influential acts like The Beatles recording in the space. The studio is currently owned by Universal Music imprint Virgin Records.

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La T y La M’s ‘Amor De Vago,’ Featuring Malandro de América, Back at No.1 on Billboard Argentina Hot 100

La T y La M’s “Amor De Vago,” featuring Malandro de América, rebounds for an 11th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated March 29). The song trades places with Jombriel, Ryan Castro, Jotta and Alex Krack’s “Parte & Choke (remix),” which dips 2-1 after one week in charge.

Brazilian singer-songwriter Luisa Sonza achieves her highest-charting entry since the chart launched in 2018 thanks to “Bunda,” with Emilia, which jumps 4-3. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny’s “Velda” rebounds to its No. 10 high, after the song hit the top 10 on the chart dated Feb. 22.

Colombian influencer and Youtuber W Sound, better known as Westcol, earns his first entry on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 ranking, as his latest project, “La Plena (W Sound 05),” with Beéle and Ovy On The Drums, becomes the Hot Shot Debut of the week debuting at No. 39. W Sound celebrates a dual milestone, following his recent deal with Warner Music Latina.

Beéle and Ovy on the Drums also take the Greatest Gainer honors of the week with “Mi Refe,” as the song surges 92-65.

Back in the top 60, Mexican Emanero and Argentinian Luciano Pereyra add a new career entry through their first collab “Ahora Resulta,” which bows at No. 60.

Lastly, Maria Becerra extends her record for the most entries among women, as “Tatú” opens at No. 62.

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Doja Cat Set to Headline South African Festival Hey Neighbour 2025

Doja Cat is the first headliner to be revealed for Hey Neighbour festival in South Africa this summer, marking the star’s first time performing in her motherland.

The three-day festival will be held at Legends Adventure Farm in Pretoria, South Africa from August 29-31. Kendrick Lamar, Khalid, The Chainsmokers, Swedish House Mafia and H.E.R. performed at the 2023 inaugural edition of the festival.

“We are beyond excited to welcome Doja Cat to the Hey Neighbour Festival stage,” Glen Netshipise, CEO of Hey Neighbour, said in a statement. “Her energy, creativity, and ability to connect with audiences on a global scale make her the perfect artist to kick off what will be an epic festival lineup. This is just the beginning — we have more incredible acts to reveal soon!”

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The festival will serve as a sort of homecoming for the Grammy-winning rapper (real name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini), who is the daughter of South African actor Dumisani Dlamini.

She told Apple Music 1’s Ebro Darden in an interview in December 2023 about her album Scarlet that she had yet to visit the country. “I rely on my career to just throw me out to places,” she said at the time. Looks like her career finally brought her home. Doja has expressed pride in her heritage by bringing out the South African a capella group The Joy to perform alongside her during her headlining slot at Coachella last year.

Fans can purchase tickets to Hey Neighbour here.

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NFL Bans ‘Nose Wipe’ Celebration Popularized by Young Thug

The No Fun League is back at it again.

On Monday night (Mar. 26), ESPN NFL analyst Benjamin Solak posted a screenshot from the league’s rules report that was sent out to teams recently highlighting that the “nose wipe” celebration is now deemed unsportsmanlike and will cost teams a 15-yard penalty.

The “nose wipe” will fall under the “violent gesture” category next to celebrations like the throat slash, invisible guns, and sexually suggestive or offensive acts.

Players like Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb use the celebration often after first downs and touchdowns. And as you can guess, is not a big fan of the rule change, tweeting that he has plenty of celebrations in mind.

Young Thug fan account, ThuggerDaily, which became the go-to source during the Atlanta’s rapper’s lengthy RICO trial, saw the news and proclaimed that Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis finally won.

“Oh my God Fani Willis won,” he tweeted. “‘Wiping your nose’ as a celebration is now banned from the NFL and will result in a 15 yard penalty for being a ‘violent gesture’ WTF.”

The “nose wipe” has been popularized by rappers like Young Thug and Future who have referenced the gesture in songs and in pictures often used with the words “slime” and “slatt.”

They both can be heard rapping the phrase on “Sup Mate” from Thugger’s 2019 debut album So Much Fun and it essentially means to confront an enemy to maybe rob them or humiliate them in some way, among other things.

We have to get to the bottom of who sent the NFL the Urban Dictionary link.

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Larkin Poe Announce 2025 Bloom Tour

Fresh off their appearance on Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea X cruise, Grammy winning sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe have announced their 2025 Bloom tour in support of their new record of the same name.

Born in Georgia and currently residing Nashville, the pair begin their trek on April 8 in St. Louis, Mo., and run coast to coast with stops across the country. On March 31, days before the tour opens, Larkin Poe and Emmylou Harris are set to perform at Woofstock at City Winery in Nashville.

Bloom follows last year’s Grammy winning album Blood Harmony from 2022. Bloom debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Blues album charts.

“History isn’t quick to point it out, but Rock ‘n’ Roll has been underpinned by a strong, matrilineal root that has been growing deep for generations, abiding. And now, more than ever, that root is coming to bloom,” a statement attributed to the band reads. “As female songwriters, producers, instrumentalists, and record label owners — we are proud to be standing on the shoulders of the strong women who have come before, and to be a part of the empowered chorus that is climbing to sing from the rooftops. When we won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2024, for the first time ever, that category was represented by a female majority of talent. This is just a taste of what’s coming. In the prophetic words of Shania Twain, ‘let’s go girls.’”

Dates for Larkin Poe’s Bloom Tour 2025 can be found below:

3/31 – Nashville, TN – Woofstock at City Winery with Emmylou Harris
4/8 – St. Louis, MO – The Hawthorn *
4/10 – Kansas City, MO – The Truman *
4/11 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre *
4/12 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot *
4/15 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall *
4/17 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox *
4/18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom *
4/19 – Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom *
4/22 – Grass Valley, CA – The Center for the Arts *
4/23 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre *
4/25 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *
4/26 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues *
4/27 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre *
5/8 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^
5/9 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^
5/10 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza ^
5/12 – Boston, MA – The Wilbur ^
5/14 – Toronto, ONT – The Concert Hall ^
5/16 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ^
5/17 – Chicago, IL – The Vic Theatre ^
5/22-26 – Cumberland, MD – DelFest †
5/29 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
5/30 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
5/31-June 1 – Lexington, KY – Railbird Music Festiva
6/1 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
6/22 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes
7/23-27 – Floyd, VA – FloydFest †
9/4-7 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender †
10/3 – Miramar Beach, FL – Moon Crush Avett Moon
10/9-12 – Nashville, TN – Tommy Emmanuel’s Guitar Camp
10/17 – Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy
10/18 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
10/19 – Bristol, UK – Bristol Beacon
10/21 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
10/22 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
10/24 – Paris, France – Salle Pleyel
10/25 – Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium
10/26 – Cologne, Germany – E-Werk
10/28 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
10/29 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus
10/30 – Frederiksberg, Denmark – Falkoner Center
11/1 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
11/2 – Warsaw, Poland – Klub Stodola
11/4 – Vienna, Austria – Gasometer
11/5 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle
11/8 – Geneva, Switzerland – Salle De L’Alhambra
11/9 – Nimes, France – La Paloma
11/12 – Lisbon, Portugal – Coliseu Dos Recreios
11/14 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Riviera
11/15 – Barcelona, Spain – Razzmatazz 1
11/16 – Bordeaux, France – Le Rocher de Palmer
11/18 – Clermont-Ferrand, France – Le Cooperative de Mai
11/19 – La Rochelle, France – La Sirene
11/21 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma

w/ Special Guest Parker Millsap
^ w/ Special Guest Amythyst Kiah
† Festival Appearance

Larkin Poe's Bloom tour
Larkin Poe’s Bloom tour
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MSG Networks Misses Debt Payment, Raising Risk of Bankruptcy or Foreclosure

MSG Networks, a subsidiary of Sphere Entertainment Co. and part of the business empire run by James Dolan, has another week to repay more than $800 million of debt without facing consequences from its lenders, the company announced Thursday (March 27) in an SEC filing. The company first announced in October 2024 that it was attempting to refinance its term loan and had entered into a forbearance agreement with its lenders. That forbearance was initially rescheduled to expire on Nov. 8, 2024, and subsequently was extended to March 26. 

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If MSG Networks is unable to achieve a “refinancing or work-out of its indebtedness,” the company would seek bankruptcy protection, or the lenders could foreclose on the MSG Networks business, according to the company’s latest annual report. Even if MSG Networks is able to refinance the debt, the new terms would be “on terms materially less favorable to MSG Networks than the current terms,” the report says. 

In February, MSG Networks, a regional sports cable network with an online subscription offering, made a principal repayment of $25 million. The debt, which currently stands at $804 million, applies only to MSG Networks, not the division that operates the Sphere venue in Las Vegas. In the quarter ended December 31, MSG Networks had revenue of $139.3 million, down 7.1% from the prior-year period, and an operating loss of $35.0 million. MSG Networks is separate from live events company MSG Entertainment, which spun off from the rest of the company in 2023.

Sphere revenue topped $300 million in the latest quarter, slightly lower than the prior-year period. The quarter included shows by rock legends the Eagles and EDM producer Anyma. As for 2025, Sphere has announced residencies by country star Kenny Chesney and ‘90s boy band Backstreet Boys. A second Sphere is in the works in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. 

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Watch LISA at Her 100 Thieves Pop-Up in LA | All Access | Billboard News

LISA collaborated with 100 Thieves, and we take you inside the exclusive pop-up, where the global pop star even made an appearance. With the venue LISA’ed out from the side of the building to the merch, keep watching for everything you missed at the 100 Thieves x LISA pop-up!

Fan 1:

Pretty surreal experience that I won’t forget. 

Tetris Kelly:

We got to hang with LISA and her fans — oh, and adorable dogs — at the 100 Thieves pop-up in LA, and from the moment the queen walked in, she had us shook.

Fan 2:

She’s gorgeous, different, like her aura was unreal.

Tetris Kelly:

We take you there for Billboard All Access. The pop-up had everything a fan could need. There was, of course, photo moments, where you could be your best rock star, and you could take the time to listen to each of LISA’s alter egos from her brand-new album. Can we take a second to talk about the merch? So much merch. They had her albums, light sticks, there were hoodies and adorable T-shirts. There were even games, because 100 Thieves is at the center of bringing games, culture and music together. 

Fan 3:

When I heard they were doing one with LISA, I was like, you could not pick a better collab together to really kind of bridge that gaming vibe. The side of the building is covered in her face, which is insane. 

Tetris Kelly:

And the fans were loving it.

Fan 4:

She’s so talented. She’s so cool. 

Fan 2:

She went from performing at the Oscars, doing that whole thing, the James Bond thing, and then she’s here, like, 24 hours later. And I was just like, wait, that’s insane.

Keep watching for more!

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