It’s that time of year! Though Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet, we’re already in the holiday mood, so it’s a good thing that Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is coming to town (or to Apple TV+, rather). There will even be a soundtrack featuring Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson and more!
Plus, the honorees for Billboard’s 2020 Women in Music event were announced, a new Verzuz battle went down, and the 2020 Latin Grammy Awards were a night to remember.
Take a look at all of the week’s can’t-miss music moments below.
Ariana Grande’s Positions spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Grande’s latest album was on top for a second week, as the set earned 82,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 12, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. (It debuted atop the list a week ago with 174,000 units earned.)
See the full Billboard 200 rundown for the week ending Nov. 12.
BTS and Ariana Grande won big at the 2020 E! People’s Choice Awards
They’re the people’s choice! While they didn’t appear at the ceremony, BTS took home four awards, while Grande won two. Plus, Justin Bieber and Chloe X Halle performed during the two-hour show, which aired on Sunday (Nov. 15). Check out the full winners’ list!
“Mood” topped the Hot 100 once again
24kGoldn’s “Mood,” featuring Iann Dior, spent a fourth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. It also took over as the most-streamed song of the week for the first time, logging its first frame at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart!
Check out the full rundown for this week’s Hot 100 chart.
Barack Obama shared a playlist of songs that inspired him during his presidency
Ahead of the release of his new book The Promised Land, Obama tweeted a playlist featuring the most memorable songs of his administration. The star-studded playlist includes Beyoncé’s “Halo,” Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin’,’ Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke,” U2’s “Beautiful Day,” Frank Sinatra’s “Luck Be a Lady,” Phillip Phillips’ “Home,” Gloria Estefan’s “Always Tomorrow,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon,” Jay-Z’s “My 1st Song” and even The Beatles’ “Michelle.” See the full playlist.
Ariana Grande dropped the music video for “34+35”
Grande unveiled the futuristic music video for her steamy latest single on Tuesday (Nov. 17), and in it, she pulls double duty as a scientist and robot! Did we mention the choreography is epic? Watch the new video here.
The American Music Awards performer lineup is stacked
Tune in to the AMAs on Sunday, Nov. 22 to see Justin Bieber perform a medley of hits, including “Holy” and “Lonely” with special guest Benny Blanco. Plus, The Weeknd and Kenny G, Doja Cat and Bebe Rexha, Dan + Shay, Lewis Capaldi and Machine Gun Kelly will all take the stage. Here’s the final list of AMAs performers.
Billie Eilish and Sam Smith will perform at the 2020 ARIA Awards
Heading into its 34th edition, the ARIA Awards will take place Nov. 25 at The Star Event Centre in Sydney, Australia. Eilish and Smith have joined the lineup of performers, which will also feature Aussie stars Sia, Tame Impala, Lime Cordiale, Sampa The Great, Amy Shark and Archie Roach. Learn more here.
The honorees for Billboard’s 2020 Women in Music event were announced
Put your hands together for the ladies who dominated 2020! Cardi B is Woman of the Year, Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the Icon Award, Dua Lipa is set to receive the Powerhouse Award, Dolly Parton is 2020’s Hitmaker Award recipient, Chloe x Halle will receive the Rising Star Award Presented by Honda, and Jessie Reyez will be honored with the American Express Impact Award. The 15th annual event will go virtual this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and will stream live on Dec. 10 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Learn more about this year’s Women in Music event.
Nick Jonas will return to The Voice
The Jonas Brothers member will officially return as a coach for season 20 of The Voice. Nick first joined in season 18 last year, but Gwen Stefani replaced him for season 19. Now the two are swapping places once again! What we know about Nick Jonas’ Voice return.
Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special is coming to town
The Queen of Christmas has announced a holiday special featuring a cast of stars — and a companion soundtrack! Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, Billy Eichner, Jermaine Dupri, Misty Copeland and more are set to appear on the Christmas special, which will debut on Apple TV+ Dec. 4. Unwrap the good news about Mariah’s new special.
Billboard’s 2020 Boy Band Battle is here
Which boy band is the best? The 2020 Boy Band Battle will pit 32 boy bands against each other in 5 rounds of tournament-style play. The bracket begins with 32 “teams” in 16 matchups. Round 1 voting is open now — head here for more!
Artists win more than just awards at the 2020 Latin Grammys
J Balvin not only took home the award for best urban music album at the 2020 Latin Grammys Thursday night (Nov. 19), but he broke a new Guinness World Record as the most nominated artist in a single year with 13 nods. Natalia Lafourcade won big and snagged awards in all three categories she was nominated in, including album of the year. Pitbull, Anuel, Anitta and more took the stage for explosive and colorful performances and tributes to late legends. Check out the full winners’s list here — plus the highlights here!
Gucci Mane and Jeezy brought the house down for latest Verzuz battle
ATL was in the house for the epic showdown (held at the Magic City strip club, no less) between Gucci Mane and Jeezy for the Verzuz battle season two opener Thursday night. Between Stacey Abrams’s special cameo and the new record set with 1.8 million viewers, the battle — fueled by the rap giants’ long-standing feud since the mid-2000s — was too hot to handle and left everyone shedding their fur coats. See Billboard’s scorecard for the Verzuz battle here!
