Luisa Sonza to Receive Global Force Award at Billboard Women in Music Awards

Luisa Sonza is a global force… And now she’ll have an award to prove it!

The 25-year-old Brazilian singer-songwriter will be among the honorees of this year’s Billboard Women in Music Awards.

Luis SonzaSonza will receive one of Billboard’s new Global Force Awards.

Sonza has released three studio albums, two EPs and two compilations. She has also collaborated with both Katy Perry and Demi Lovato. She and Pabllo Vittar cohost the HBO Max show Queen Stars.

But she’s not the only Latinx artist being feted…Young Miko will receive the Impact Award.

The Puerto Rican rapper and singer-songwriter cracked the Billboard Hot 100 last year with her reggaeton song, “Classy 101” (with Feid). She incorporates her identity and interests, including anime and urban music, into her music.

Ice Spice will receive the Hitmaker Award.

“Four” is the 24-year-old half-Dominican American rapper’s magic number at the moment. That’s the number of Grammy nominations she received this year, including best new artist. And it’s the number of top 10 hits on the Hot 100 she amassed last year – for collaborations with Taylor Swift (“Karma”), PinkPantheress (“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2”) and a pair of collaborations with Nicki Minaj (“Princess Diana” and “Barbie World,” which also featured Aqua).

The latter song is nominated for two Grammys – best rap song and best song written for visual media. “Karma” is nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

Tracee Ellis Ross will host the 2024 Billboard Women in Music Awards, which will be held Wednesday, March 6, at YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif. – just outside of Los Angeles — and will stream on March 7. The annual event features musical performances and honors women powerhouses who are shaping the music landscape.

Presenters, performers and additional honorees, including the identity of the 2024 Billboard Woman of the Year, will be announced in the coming weeks.

“We could not be more excited to celebrate these inspiring and dynamic artists from around the world, as they move our culture forward and inspire women everywhere to push boundaries and pursue their own dreams,” Billboard’s editorial director, Hannah Karp, said in a statement. “With the talented Tracee Ellis Ross as our host, this year’s Billboard Women in Music Awards will be an unforgettable evening.”

Tickets to attend the Women in Music Awards are available to the public. American Express Card Members get early access to tickets from Wednesday, January 24 at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET – Friday, January 26 at 10:00am PT/1:00 pm ET (terms apply), before the public on-sale Saturday, January 27, at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET, at billboardwomeninmusic.com. Prices range from $89 – $279. Fans can watch the show on Thurs, March 7 at 5pm PT/8pm ET on billboardwomeninmusic.com; more details about the stream will be announced soon.

Here’s a list of the 2024 honorees that have been announced so far.

NewJeans: Group of the Year Award
The South Korean group made a big splash in August 2023 when their second EP, Get Up, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, displacing Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). The group also had five Hot 100 hits, topped by “Super Shy,” which rode the chart for two months.

Ice Spice: Hitmaker Award
“Four” is Ice Spice’s magic number at the moment. That’s the number of Grammy nominations she received this year, including best new artist. And it’s the number of top 10 hits on the Hot 100 she amassed last year – for collabs with Taylor Swift (“Karma”), PinkPantheress (“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2”) and a pair of collabs with Nicki Minaj (“Princess Diana” and “Barbie World,” which also featured Aqua).

The latter song is nominated for two Grammys – best rap song and best song written for visual media. “Karma” is nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

Victoria Monét: Rising Star Award
Monét was nominated for seven Grammys in 2024, for performance, songwriting and engineering. Her haul includes two of the Big Four awards – best new artist and record of the year for “On My Mama.” Monét’s album Jaguar II is nominated for two awards – best R&B album and best engineered album, non-classical.

Kylie Minogue: Icon Award
Minogue kicked off her Las Vegas residency on the heels of her 2023 Tension album, which featured the dance-floor smash “Padam Padam.” The track is nominated for a Grammy for best pop dance recording. Minogue won a Grammy for best dance recording 20 years ago for “Come Into My World.”

Minogue has a longer history on the Billboard Hot 100 than any of this year’s other nominees. She landed her first top 10 hit, a cover version of Little Eva’s “The Loco-Motion,” in 1988. She returned to the top 10 in 2002 with “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.” Her album Fever reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in 2002.

Maren Morris: Visionary Award
Last year, Maren announced that she was taking a break from country music, the format in which she became a star. She has also been outspoken about aspects of country music culture where she would like to see change. She won a Grammy for best country solo performance for “My Church” seven years ago. She has landed two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, Hero (No. 5 in 2016) and GIRL (No. 4 in 2019). She landed her biggest hit to date for a pop recording, “The Middle,” on which she teamed with Zedd and Grey. The smash reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 in 2018.

Charli XCX: Powerhouse Award
The pop star performed “Speed Drive” on Barbie: The Album. Her biggest unaccompanied hit on the Hot 100, “Boom Clap,” was also from a film, The Fault in Our Stars. That song made the top 10 in 2014. She has made the top 10 as a featured artist twice – on Icona Pop’s “I Love It” and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” Charli XCX’s album Crash reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200 in 2022.

Tems: Breakthrough Award
The Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer is nominated for a Grammy as a co-writer of Rhianna’s smash “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The smash, which entered the Hot 100 at No. 2 in late 2022, is nominated for best song written for visual media. A year ago, it brought Tems and her co-writers an Oscar nod for best original song.

Tems won a Grammy last year – best melodic rap performance for Future’s “Wait for U,” on which she was featured (along with Drake). That song topped the Hot 100 in 2022. Tems landed her first top 10 hit, as a featured artist on Wizkid’s “Essence,” in 2021. Justin Bieber was also featured on that smash.

Young Miko: Impact Award
The Puerto Rican rapper and singer-songwriter cracked the Hot 100 last year with her reggaeton song, “Classy 101” (with Feid). She incorporates her identity and interests, including anime and urban music, into her music. Young Miko’s birth name is María Victoria Ramírez de Arellano.

Luísa Sonza: Global Force Award
The Brazilian singer-songwriter will receive one of Billboard’s new Global Force Awards. Sonza has released three studio albums, two EPs and two compilations. She has also collaborated with both Katy Perry and Demi Lovato. She and Pabllo Vittar cohost the HBO Max show Queen Stars.

Ice Spice Signs with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for International Representation

Ice Spice has new global representation… 

The 23-year-old half-Dominican American Grammy-nominated rapper has signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) for international representation in all areas.

Ice SpiceA representative for the rapper confirms that veteran hip-hop agent Cara Lewis and C Lewis Group continue to represent her in North America and Canada.

The news of the WME signing was originally reported by Variety.

The Bronx rapper has continued to blow up since her 2022 breakout single, “Munch (Feelin’ U).” At the top of the year, she released her debut EP, Like..?, via 10K Projects and Capitol Records. The EP received a deluxe version in July and eventually peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. The project spawned numerous hits, including “Princess Diana” — which received a remix with Nicki Minaj that reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Ice’s second top 10 hit following “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress — and “Deli,” which reached No. 41 on the Hot 100 and became her highest-charting solo hit on the chart.

Ice Spice has a total of four Hot 100 top 10 hits to her name, also including the “Karma” remix with Taylor Swift (which the two performed live for the first time at the East Rutherford, N.J. stop of Swift’s Eras Tour) and “Barbie World” with Minaj and Aqua.

The drill MC recently snagged four nominations ahead of the 2024 Grammy Awards: best new artist, best pop duo/group performance for “Karma,” and best rap song and best song written for visual media for “Barbie World.”

The rapper is currently touring with Doja Cat on the Scarlet Tour, which wraps next Wednesday, Dec. 13 at Chicago’s United Center.

Billboard crowned Ice as R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year in August.

Ice Spice Named Best New Artist at MTV Video Music Awards

Ice Spice is celebrating another award…

The MTV Video Music Awards have been handed out, with the 23-year-old half-Dominican American rap sensation taking home one of the top prizes.

Ice SpiceIce Spice beat out the likes of Peso Pluma, Renee Rapp, GloRilla, Kaliii and PinkPantheress for the Best New Artist award.

It’s the first MTV VMAs award of her young career. She joins previous Latinx Best New Artist winners Cardi B (2018) and Fifth Harmony with Latina members Camila Cabello, Lauren Jauregui and Ashley Brooke (2014).

Shakira, who was awarded the Video Vanguard Award, and Karol G picked up the award for Best Collaboration for the music video for their hit single “TQG.” It’s Shakira’s second win in the category following her win alongside Beyonce in 2007 for “Beautiful Liar.”

Anitta won the Best Latin award for her “Funk Rave” music video. It’s her second consecutive win in the category after winning last year for “Envolver.

Selena Gomez and Rema took home the Best Afrobeats prize for the hit single “Calm Down.”

The awards show was broadcast live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Tuesday, September 12, for the milestone 40th annual awards show.

Here’s the full list of 2023 MTV VMAs winners:

Video Vanguard Award
Shakira

Global Icon Award
Diddy

Video of the Year
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Song of the Year
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Artist of the Year
Taylor Swift

Best New Artist
Ice Spice

Push Performance of the Year
Tomorrow X Together – “Sugar Rush Ride”

Best Collaboration
Karol G and Shakira – “TQG”

Best Pop
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero”

Best Hip-Hop
Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl”

Best R&B
SZA – “Shirt”

Best K-Pop
Stray Kids – “S-Class”

Best Latin
Anitta – “Funk Rave”

Best Rock
Måneskin – “The Loneliest”

Best Alternative
Lana Del Rey (featuring Jon Batiste) – “Candy Necklace”

Best Afrobeats
Rema and Selena Gomez – “Calm Down”

Video for Good
Dove Cameron – “Breakfast”

Show of the Summer
Taylor Swift

Group of the Year
Blackpink

Album of the Year
Taylor Swift – Midnights

Song of Summer
Jungkook (featuring Latto) – “Seven”

Best Direction
Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” (Director: Taylor Swift)

 

Anitta to Perform at This Year’s MTV Video Music Awards

Anitta will be making a special appearance at this year’s MTV VMAs

The 30-year-old Brazilian superstar has been added to the list of performers for the MTV Video Music Awards.

AnittaAnitta is joined by Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini and K-pop band Tomorrow X Together as the latest round of performers.

They join previously announced Demi Lovato, Karol G, Måneskin and Stray Kids.

Additional performers to be announced soon.

The awards show will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12 at 8:00 pm on MTV and stream on Paramount+.

Taylor Swift leads the pack in nominations with eight, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Anti-Hero”.

Other multi-nominated artists include SZA with 6 noms, Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith with 5 each, and Blackpink, Diddy and Shakira with 4 each.

There also are a record number of first-ever VMAs nominees (35 total) this year, with multiple nominations for first-timers Kim Petras (5), Metro Boomin and Rema (3 each), Ayra Starr, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami (2 each).

Other artists receiving first-time nods include Aespa, boygenius, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, Fletcher, Fifty Fifty, JVKE, Lauren Spencer Smith, Musa Keys, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii, among others.

Fans can vote for their favorites across 15 gender-neutral categories, including “Video of the Year,” at vote.mtv.com through Friday, September 1st; voting for “Best New Artist” will remain active into the show on Tuesday, September 12th. Nominations for social categories including “Group of the Year” and “Song of Summer” will be announced at a later date.

Cardi B Earns Three BET Awards Nominations

Cardi B is placing her BETs

The 30-year old half-Dominican American rap superstar has earned three nominations for this year’s music-heavy BET Awards.

Cardi B, Latto

Cardi B, a six-time BET Awards winner, is nominated for Best Female Hip Hop Artist, as well as Best Collaboration and Video of the Year Awads for her GloRilla hit single “Tomorrow 2.”

But Cardi B isn’t the only Latinx artist being recognized…

Ice Spice has earned four nods.

The 23-year-old half-Dominican rapper is nominated for Best New Artist and Best Female Hip Hop Artist, as well as Best Collaboration and Bet Her for her Pinkpantheress-collaboration “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2.”

Meanwhile, Mariah Carey has earned a nod.

The 54-year-old half-Venezuelan Grammy-winning singer, a four-time BET Awards nominee, is up for Best Collaboration

For “Big Energy (Remix),” featuring Mariah Carey and Dj Khaled

Celebrating creative expression and Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports, the 23rd BET Awards will be handed out on Sunday, June 25.

Last year’s winners included Will Smith, Kendrick nr, Megan Thee Stallion and Jazmine Sullivan.

Here’s a look at the nominees for the 2023 BET Awards:

Album of the Year

Anyways, Life’s Great, GloRilla
Breezy, Chris Brown
God Did, Dj Khaled
Her Loss, Drake & 21 Savage
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar
Renaissance, Beyoncé
SOS, SZA

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Ari Lennox
Beyoncé
Coco Jones
H.E.R.
Lizzo
SZA
Tems

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

Blxst
Brent Faiyaz
Burna Boy
Chris Brown
Drake
The Weeknd
Usher

Best Group

City Girls
Drake & 21 Savage
Dvsn
Flo
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Quavo & Takeoff
Wanmor

Best Collaboration

Big Energy (Remix), Latto & Mariah Carey feat. Dj Khaled
Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2, Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
Call Me Every Day, Chris Brown feat. Wizkid
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop, King Combs feat. Kodak Black
Creepin’, Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage
F.N.F. (Let’s Go), Hitkidd & GloRilla
Tomorrow 2, GloRilla & Cardi B
Wait For U, Future feat. Drake & Tems

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Cardi B
Coi Leray
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Latto
Megan Thee Stallion
Nicki Minaj

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

21 Savage
Drake
Future
J. Cole
Jack Harlow
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Baby

Video of the Year

We (Warm Embrace)  Chris Brown
2 Million Up, Peezy, Jeezy & Real Boston Richey feat. Rob49
About Damn Time, Lizzo
Bad Habit, Steve Lacy
First Class, Jack Harlow
Kill Bill, SZA
Tomorrow 2, GloRilla & Cardi B

Video Director of the Year

A$Ap Rocky For Awge
Benny Boom
Burna Boy
Cole Bennett
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Director X
Teyana “Spike Tey” Taylor

Best New Artist

Ambré
Coco Jones
Doechii
Flo
GloRilla
Ice Spice
Lola Brooke

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award

Bless Me, Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
Finished (Live), Tamela Mann
I’ve Got Joy, Cece Winans
Kingdom, Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin feat. Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore
New, Tye Tribbett
One Moment From Glory, Yolanda Adams
The Better Benediction (Pt. 2), PJ Morton feat. Lisa Knowles-Smith, Le’andria Johnson, Keke Wyatt, Kierra Sheard & Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Viewer’s Choice Award

About Damn Time, Lizzo
Break My Soul, Beyoncé
First Class, Jack Harlow
Jimmy Cooks, Drake feat. 21 Savage
Kill Bill, SZA
Last Last, Burna Boy
Super Freaky Girl, Nicki Minaj
Wait for U, Future feat. Drake & Tems

Best International Act

Aya Nakamura (France)
Ayra Starr (Nigeria)
Burna Boy (Nigeria)
Central Cee (UK)
Ella Mai (UK)
Ko (South Africa)
L7nnon (Brazil)
Stormzy (UK)
Tiakola (France)
Uncle Waffles (Swaziland)

Viewer’s Choice: Best New International Act

Asake (Nigeria)
Camidoh (Ghana)
Flo (UK)
Libianca (Cameroon)
Maureen (France)
Mc Ryan Sp (Brazil)
Pabi Cooper (South Africa)
Raye (Uk)
Werenoi (France)

Bet Her

About Damn Time, Lizzo
Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2, Pinkpantheress & Ice Spice
Break My Soul, Beyoncé
Her, Megan Thee Stallion
Lift Me Up, Rihanna & Ludwig Göransson
Players, Coi Leray
Special, Lizzo

Best Movie

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Creed 3
Emancipation
Nope
The Woman King
Till
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody

Best Actor

Amin Joseph
Brian Tyree Henry
Damson Idris
Daniel Kaluuya
Demetrius ‘Lil Meech’ Flenory Jr.
Donald Glover
Michael B. Jordan

Best Actress

Angela Bassett
Coco Jones
Janelle James
Janelle Monáe
Keke Palmer
Viola Davis
Zendaya

Youngstars Award

Akira Akbar
Alaya High
Demi Singleton
Genesis Denise
Marsai Martin
Thaddeus J. Mixson
Young Dylan

Sportswoman of the Year Award

Alexis Morris
Allyson Felix
Angel Reese
Candace Parker
Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams
Sha’carri Richardson

Sportsman of the Year Award

Aaron Judge
Bubba Wallace
Gervonta Davis
Jalen Hurts
LeBron James
Patrick Mahomes
Stephen Curry

Ice Spice Appears in SKIMS’ New Shapewear Spring Campaign

It’s shaping up to be a sexy summer for Ice Spice

SKIMS has debuted several new shapewear styles for spring, and has tapped several Gen Z musicians to do it, including the 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper.

Ice Spice, SKIMSIce Spice and her “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” collaborator PinkPantheress star in the new ad campaign alongside fellow musicians Nessa Barrett and RAYE for Kim Kardashian’s fashion brand.

The campaign was released on Monday, April 24.

“I’m excited to launch this next generation of SKIMS shapewear with a campaign that celebrates these incredible musical artists,” Kardashian said in a statement regarding the release. “Ice Spice, Nessa Barrett, PinkPantheress, and RAYE are super talented women and truly reflect our SKIMS community.”

In the new brand images and videos, Ice Spice wears the Seamless Sculpt High Neck Thong Bodysuit in the color bronze and PinkPantheress wears the Seamless Sculpt High Waist Catsuit in the color jasper (charcoal gray). Elsewhere in the campaign images, Barrett is seen in the Seamless Sculpt Slip Dress in the color sienna (tan) while RAYE appears in the Seamless Sculpt Strapless Thong Bodysuit in the color clay (light gray).

“SKIMS just gets it and makes me feel extra snatched,” said Ice Spice. “I’m happy to be a part of the latest campaign.” PinkPantheress echoed her collaborator’s sentiment, adding, “These styles empower me to try clothes I wouldn’t have tried before and make me feel so comfortable and secure.”

On the charts, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” sits at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, while Ice’s “Princess Diana” remix with Nicki Minaj debuts at No. 4 on the chart.

Ice Spice Teams Up with Nicki Minaj for “Princess Diana (Remix)”

Ice Spice is feelin’ royal

The 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper has joined voices with Nicki Minaj on “Princess Diana (Remix).”

Ice SpiceA key component of Ice Spice’s meteoric rise is her skill as a collaborator: from the top 10 smash “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress to “Gangsta Boo,” the Lil Tjay team-up that highlights her Like..? EP, the Bronx rapper knows exactly how to accentuate her own voice while making room for other types of artistry.

The remix to “Princess Diana” not only slides a huge co-sign from Minaj into her back pocket, but seamlessly brings a larger-than-life personality into the world of a very good existing song — after Ice Spice’s slick cadence and internal rhymes glide across the beat, Minaj provides new highlights with quotable sneers like “She the princess, so f–k who you lames is?”

Ice Spice Earns First No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs List

Ice Spice is a lyin’ queen…

In its third week on the chart, the 23-year-old half-Dominican American rapper and PinkPantheress’ single “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” has risen to No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs list dated March 4.

Ice SpiceIn the February 17-23 tracking week, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” earned 33.7 million official U.S. streams, an 8% gain, according to Luminate.

It’s the first non-holiday song to rise to No. 1, rather than debuting there, since Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” which spent its first week at No. 1 on the tally dated August 13, 2022, its fourth frame.

Between “Habit” and “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” reached No. 1 for the first time on the January 7 survey, and all other rulers during that span were either returning No. 1s or debuted atop the list.

“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” started at No. 4 on the February 18 ranking (20.2 million streams) and rose to No. 3 on February 25 (31.1 million) before its coronation.

It’s both PinkPantheress’ and Ice Spice’s first No. 1s on Streaming Songs, coming in both’s first appearance on the chart. They’re the first to reach No. 1 with their first song to appear since Kim Petras, whose “Unholy,” a co-lead with Sam Smith, debuted at No. 1 in October 2022.

“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” is the first No. 1 by multiple acts all achieving their first leader with an initial entry since “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” from Encanto, credited to Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz and the Encanto cast.

Concurrently, “Liar” rises 4-3 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, a new peak.

Released February 3, the new edition of “Liar,” which adds Ice Spice on vocals, follows the original’s November 30 premiere.

Kehlani to Co-Headline This Year’s ‘Sol Blume’ R&B Festival

Kehlani is in full blume

The 27-year-old part-Mexican American singer-songwriter will co-headline this year’s Sol Blume, the Bay Area-based R&B festival.

KehlaniKehlani’s co-headliner will be Brent Faiyaz.

The fourth annual festival will take place at Discovery Park in Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30, and brings together emerging and established R&B, hip-hop and soul acts, including Ella MaiIsaiah RashadJoey Bada$$Mariah the ScientistMerebaJessie ReyezPink Sweat$ChlöePinkPantheressMuni LongArin RayFLOCoco JonesNaoJacqueesMahaliaMarc E. Bassy, Alex Isley, Fana Hues, Thuy, Rini, Destin Conrad and Samaria.

Teyana Taylor is slated as Sol Blume’s very special guest, with the bill detailing “one night only performing ‘The Last Rose Petal 2′” following the artist’s two-part farewell tour by the same name.

Bay Area native Kehlani recently sold out the nearby Oracle Arena in Oakland last fall during her tour in support of her third studio album, Blue Water Road

Sol Blume marks both headliners’ return to Sacramento in five-plus years.

Tickets will go on sale for the general public on Monday, January 30, at 10:00 am PT on Sol Blume’s official website.

General admission tickets for the two-day festival cost $200 (not including fees), while VIP tickets cost $400 (not including fees).