Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Ends Year Atop Australia’s ARIA Chart

Mariah Carey is ending the year with a bang Down Under

The 54-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer reigns over Australia’s final chart of 2023 with “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

Mariah CareyCarey’s holiday classic rises 2-1 to close out the festive season Down Under, leading an all-Christmas top 5 on the ARIA Chart, published on Friday, December 29. 

Last week, “All I Want For Christmas Is You” was pipped for the Christmas No. 1 by Jack Harlow’s “Lovin On Me.”

By completing its chart climb, the hit from 1994 boasts a sixth successive year reaching No. 1.

The top five on the latest tally is rounded out by Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (up 5-2 via Warner/Universal), Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 4-3 via Sony), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” (up 10-4 via Reprise/Warner) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 7-5 via Universal), respectively.

Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” Earns Second Week at No. 1 in Australia

Mariah Carey is still a darling Down Under

The 52-year-old half-Venezuelan American Grammy-winning singer, the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, lives up to her nickname as her enduring holiday classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You” rings in Christmas as the No. 1 single in Australia.

Mariah CareyCarey’s single, released in 1994, earns a second consecutive week at the top Down Under, and a fifth year at No. 1 during the Christmas week, ARIA reports.

Although it’s peak summer in Australia, a time when Aussies head to the beach en masse, those wintry yuletide classics dominate playlists in these parts, a fact that’s reflected by both main ARIA Charts.

Four of the top 10 singles on the chart published December 23 are Christmas numbers, including Wham’s “Last Christmas” (up 6-3), Michael Bublé’s “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” (up 11-5), Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (up 12-7) and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” (up 15-8), while Bobby Helms’ ‘50s tune Jingle Bell Rock lifts 19-14. Also, Xmas singles from Kelly Clarkson, Andy Williams, The Ronettes, Band Aid, Sia, John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band and Burl Ives impact the top 40.

Camila Cabello Releases Cover of Bing Crosby’s Holiday Classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”

Camila Cabello is getting into the holiday spirit…

The 25-year-old Mexican Cuban singer and current The Voice coach has released her rendition of the holiday classic “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

Camila CabelloIn Cabello’s version of the classic track — which was originally performed and released by Bing Crosby in 1943 to honor soldiers stationed overseas during World War II — she gives it an update with a Latin flare through the use of a big band and romantic, acoustic guitar to flesh out the instrumental.

“I’ll be home for Christmas/ You can plan on me/ Please have some snow and mistletoe/ And presents by the tree/ Christmas eve will find me/ Where the love light gleams/ I’ll be home for Christmas,” Cabello effortlessly sings the song’s defining chorus.

Cabello previously delivered her “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” cover on two separate occasions last year for her performance at the White House for In Performance at the White House: Spirit of the Season and for Michael Bublé’s Christmas in the City.

“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is far from Cabello’s first foray into holiday tunes — in 2021, she teamed up with her then-boyfriend Shawn Mendes for a cover of Nat King Cole’s Christmas classic, “The Christmas Song,” which served double duty as a fundraiser for Feeding America.

Camila Cabello to Take Part in Michael Bublé’s Holiday Special “Christmas in the City”

Camila Cabello is spending Christmas in the City

The 24-year-old Cuban-Mexican singer and former Fifth Harmony member will take part in Michael Bublé’s holiday special Christmas in the City next week on NBC.

Camila CabelloIn addition to Cabello, Bublé’s other guests will include Jimmy FallonLeon BridgesTed Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham and Kermit the Frog. They’ll be backed by a 48-piece orchestra.

“I’m especially excited about this year’s show and our phenomenal guests,” Bublé said in a statement. “It will be a night to remember and I can’t wait to celebrate with everyone.”

Michael Bublé’s Christmas in the City, premiering Monday, December 6, at 10:00 pm ET on NBC, will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the crooner’s Christmas album, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in 2011 and just landed at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Top Holiday Albums chart.

While this will mark the first time Bublé has performed with Cabello, his now-3-year-old daughter Vida starred in an adorable viral video with the crooner last year singing “Señorita,” Cabello’s Hot 100 No. 1 duet with Shawn Mendes.

Kirstin Maldonado & Her Pentatonix Group Mates to Perform at iHeartRadio Holiday Special

Kirstin Maldonado is helping people get into the holiday spirit…

The 29-year-old half-Mexican, part-Spanish American singer and her Pentatonix group mates will perform Christmas classics at the second annual iHeartRadio Holiday Special later this month.

Kirstin Maldonado, Pentatonix

Pentatonix is part of a lineup that includes Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé and Train.

Hosted by Mario Lopez, the virtual concert will take place on November 24 at 7:00 pm ET.

It will be broadcast across iHeart AC, Hot AC and Classic Hits stations and on the iHeartRadio app, with a video stream on the company’s YouTube and Facebook pages. Fans can also watch the concert in VR through the Horizon Venues app on Meta Quest.

The concert will mark the annual switch to exclusively holiday music through Christmas Day on more than 80 stations in key markets nationwide.

According to iHeartMedia, that switch sometimes doubles the audience size for a station from typical non-holiday programming.

“Our listeners always anxiously await the day our stations flip to Christmas music,” said Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia. “Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé, Train and Pentatonix have some of the best songs of the holiday season, and we’re excited to have them perform on our show.”

Pentatonix dropped their sixth holiday-themed project Evergreen, which features collabs with Alessia Cara and Lindsey Stirling, on October 29; the a cappella group also kicks off a Christmas tour on November 27 in Baltimore.

In addition to local stations, listeners can head to the iHeartRadio Holiday page to see all the dedicated Christmas stations across the iHeartRadio app and beyond.

Christina Aguilera Among Celebrities Urging U.S. Senators to Stop Gun Violence Now

Christina Aguilera is calling for politicians to take action on the issue of gun reform

The 40-year-old half-Ecuadorian American Grammy-winning singer has joined a roster of celebrities who’ve signed an open letter to U.S. Senators urging them stop gun violence now.

Christina Aguilera

Five years ago, amidst a string of deadly attacks at live music venues including the horrific mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016, the cover of Billboard‘s July 2016 issue featured an open letter to U.S. Congress signed by 200 artists and music industry executives calling for gun reform.

Unfortunately, the need for reform has only grown stronger as shootings have continued around the country at a terrifying rate.

So now, five years later, as venues prepare to reopen after their pandemic shutdown and music fans ready to return to concerts and festivals, we stand again with the music community to ask lawmakers to take swift action to stop the violence. — Hannah Karp, Billboard editorial director

An Open Letter to Senators: Stop Gun Violence Now

As leading artists and executives in the music industry, we are adding our voices to the chorus of Americans demanding change.

Music always has been celebrated communally, on dance floors and at concert halls. But this life-affirming ritual, like so many other daily experiences — going to school or church or work — continues to be threatened, because of gun violence in this country.

The one thing that connects the tragedies like the shootings in Boulder, El Paso, Las Vegas, Parkland and so many other places in America, to the one that happened in Orlando five years ago this June, is that it is far too easy for dangerous people to get their hands on guns.

We call on the Senate to do more to prevent the gun violence that kills more than 100 Americans every day and injures hundreds more: Take action on background checks.

Billboard and the undersigned implore you — the people who are elected to represent us — to close the deadly loopholes that put the lives of so many music fans, and all of us, at risk.

Sincerely,

Christina Aguilera, Tori Amos, Sara Barielles, Aaron Bay-Schuck, Tony Bennett, Selim Bouab, Rob Bourdon, Scooter Braun, Cortez Bryant, Michael Bublé, Vanessa Carlton, Joseph Carozza, Steve Cooper, Tom Corson, Lee Daniels, Ellen DeGeneres, Brad Delson, Diplo, Mike Easterlin, John Esposito, Melissa Etheridge, Fletcher, Luis Fonsi, Becky G, Kevin Gore, Julie Greenwald, Josh Groban, Horacio Gutierrez, Joe Hahn, Halsey, Billy Joel, Craig Kallman, Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Carole King, Elle King, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Kevin Liles, Dre London, Jennifer Lopez, Macklemore, Zayn Malik, Carianne Marshall, Ricky Martin, Paul McCartney, Julia Michaels, Guy Moot, Jason Mraz, Gregg Nadel, Yoko Ono, Mark Pinkus, Gregory Porter, Prince Royce, Bonnie Raitt, Dawn Richard, RMR, Paul Robinson, Maggie Rogers, Kelly Rowland, Mike Shinoda, Sia, Matt Signore, Britney Spears, Rob Stevenson, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Justin Tranter, Sir Trilli, Sharon Van Etten, Aimie Vaughn-Fruehe, Eddie Vedder, Andrew Watt.

If you’re interested in signing the letter, you can email guncontrol@billboard.com.

Mariah Carey Teases New Holiday Collaboration

Mariah Carey is whippin’ up a new holiday treat…

The 50-year-old half-Venezuelan American singer, known as the “Queen of Christmas,” is teasing fans with a holiday gift,

Mariah Carey

Carey took to social media and shared a photo of three director’s chairs on the set of a project, with a Christmas tree emoji as the caption. The chairs feature the letters “MC,” “AG” and “JH,” and while MC are obviously Carey’s initials, fans are buzzing over who the other two collaborators could be.

The most prominent fan theory seems to be Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson, while some are also suggesting that “JH” might be J-Hope from BTS. Carey has yet to officially confirm her two collaborators.

Mariah Carey

If the guesses are correct, this would hardly be Grande’s first dip into the Christmas pool. The star has released two holiday collections, 2013’s Christmas Kisses and 2015’s Christmas & Chill, plus her 2014 track “Santa Tell Me.”

In 2009, Hudson hosted a holiday special, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, in which she headed back to her hometown of Chicago, joined by Michael Bublé, for Christmas memories and music.

Carey scored her 19th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last year with her 25-year-old insta-classic holiday song “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Sebastian Yatra Teams Up with Gary Barlow & Michael Bublé for Salsa-fied Single “Elita”

Sebastian Yatra is bringing the salsa…

The 25-year-old Colombian singer-songwriter, who recently earned two Latin Grammy nominations, has joined voices with Gary Barlow and Michael Bublé for the new single “Elita.”

Sebastian Yatra

The core of the song, according to Barlow, is about witnessing the power of women. Its salsa-infused pop blends make “Elita” an “exciting, sexy, and empowering” song, as expressed by Bublé on Twitter.

The collaboration was born in November when originally Barlow and Bublé were going to share credits. However, it was Bublé who suggested that his good friend Yatra would be the perfect fit in the track.

“Within an hour we were all on the phone and when Sebastian sent the track back, we were just thrilled,” Barlow said in a statement. “He has this amazing charisma — it just sounded so authentic.”

Bublé added: “I don’t think I’ve ever had a pop song which had three individuals, all coming together. I thought it was cool as it molded different cultures, and aspects of music and who we’ve all been inspired by and I thought it was a really perfect mix.”

Although “Elita” was created remotely, Yatra feels that he’s been lifelong friends with Barlow and Bublé.

“These guys are pure of heart and talent,” he said. “I can’t wait to keep learning from their advice, example, and friendship in this whole process and future projects!”

 

 

Ryan Vasquez to Star in Ross Golan’s Musical “The Wrong Man”

Ryan Vasquez is in the Wrong

The Latino actor/singer has been cast in the world premiere in New York this September of multi-platinum songwriter Ross Golan’s musical The Wrong Man.

Ryan Vasquez

Vasquez will star opposite Tony-nominee Joshua Henry and Ciara Renéein the musical.

The Wrong Man is set in Reno, Nevada, and tells the story of Duran, a man just scraping by, who is accused of a murder he says he didn’t commit.

Golan’s first stage musical was initially conceived as an acoustic solo piece, but over a decade has grown to include a full-length concept album and an animated film.

Previews begin on Wednesday, September 18, with an opening night of October 7, at the Off Broadway MCC Theater.

Golan (book, music, lyrics) has written massive hits for a massive roster of artists including Maroon 5, Justin BieberNicki MinajLady Antebellum, Michael BubléSelena GomezKeith Urban, Ariana GrandeFlo RidaOne Direction, Idina MenzelNellyDemi LovatoJason DeruloMeghan TrainorCee Lo Green, 5 Seconds of SummerPrince RoyceSnoop DoggGavin DeGraw, Colbie CaillatAndy GrammerJames Blunt, Big Sean and Travis Barker.

Vasquez has appeared on Broadwayin Hamilton, Waitress and Wickedand on television in The Good FightCurb Your Enthusiasm and The Code.

Maldonado & Her Pentatonix Bandmates’ Christmas Album Reaches No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Kirstie Maldonado is a woman on top… of the charts…

The 24-year-old half-Mexican, part Spanish-American singer and her fellow Pentatonix members have scored their second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.

Pentatonix

The vocal group’s Pentatonix Christmas rises 2-1 on the latest list, earning 206,000 equivalent album units in the week ending December 22 (up 32 percent), according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 185,000 were in traditional album sales (up 33 percent).

It’s the first holiday album at No. 1 in five years, since Michael Buble’s Christmas ruled the tally for five consecutive weeks on the charts dated December 10, 2011, through January 7, 2012.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Pentatonix previously led the list with its self-titled album, which debuted atop the list in 2015.

A Pentatonix Christmas was released through RCA Records on October 21. It debuted at No. 3 on the November 12-dated chart, and has never ranked lower than No. 6 on the list in its nine weeks on the chart.

The album benefits from not only holiday-fueled purchases, as well as a sale price in the iTunes Store (for just $7.99), but also a number of television appearances from the group during the tracking week. The act’s December 7 performance on ABC‘s Jimmy Kimmel Live! repeated on Dec. 16; NBC‘s A Pentatonix Christmas Special (which premiered on December 14) received an encore airing on December 17; they sang on NBC’s America’s Got Talent Holiday Spectacular on December 19; and they performed on Fox News’ Fox & Friends on December 21 and the syndicated Rachael Ray Show on December  22.

A Pentatonix Christmas is the group’s sixth top 10 album overall, and third holiday effort to reach the region, following 2014’s No. 2-peaking That’s Christmas to Me, and the 2013 PTXmas EP, which climbed to No. 7.

Pentatonix’s latest No. 1 also earns the largest sales week for a holiday album in two years, since Pentatonix’s previous holiday set, That’s Christmas to Me, sold 203,000 copies in the week ending December 21, 2014. In fact, the last acts that weren’t Pentatonix to sell more in a single week with a holiday album were Michael Buble and Justin Bieber during the week ending December 25, 2011. That week, Buble sold 467,000 copies of Christmas, while Bieber moved 225,000 copies of his Under the Mistletoe.

Further, A Pentatonix Christmas is the first album to earn its first week at No. 1 by climbing there — as opposed to debuting or re-entering at No. 1–since Rihanna’s Anti vaulted from No. 27 to No. 1 in its second chart week, on the February 20-dated list.

Also notable, since A Pentatonix Christmas reaches No. 1 in its ninth week on the list, it logs the slowest continuous climb to No. 1 (thus excepting re-entries at No. 1 from Prince’s The Very Best of Prince and Chris Stapleton’s Traveller) since the March 16, 2013-dated list, when Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox reached No. 1 in its 12th week.