Wednesday’s (Jan. 20) historic inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris received a load of star power, with performances by Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks.
Meanwhile, Olivia Rodrigo has the biggest song in the world — as is to be expected with her record-shattering streaming stats — with her debut single “Drivers License” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 23).
Plus, Anuel AA and Ozuna starred on Billboard’s latest digital cover, and much more.
Take a look at all of the week’s can’t-miss music moments below.
Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200
Dangerous debuted in record-setting fashion, garnering the largest streaming week ever for a country album. The 30-song album — Wallen’s first leader — further logged the largest overall week, by units earned, for a country set in over two years. Plus, Jazmine Sullivan started at a career-best No. 4 with Heaux Tales. See the full Billboard 200 rundown for the week ending Jan. 14 here.
Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
The single, released Jan. 8, marks the 17-year-old Rodrigo’s first Hot 100 No. 1, following its first week of availability. The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star’s “Drivers License” was also buoyed by scrutiny about its lyrics, the song’s TikTok presence and a co-sign from Taylor Swift. Check out the full rundown for this week’s Hot 100 chart here.
More Super Bowl performers were announced
Apart from halftime performer The Weeknd, the NFL announced that H.E.R. will perform “America the Beautiful” and Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church will sing the National Anthem at the 2021 Super Bowl LV in Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay, Fla. The pregame festivities will air during the CBS Kick-Off Show at 6:00 p.m. ET. Learn more here.
Artists performed during the Biden-Harris inauguration
This past historic Wednesday, Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem, while Jennifer Lopez gave a heartfelt performance of “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful,” and Garth Brooks sang “Amazing Grace.” Later, Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons sang their original collaboration “Better Days,” and Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard performed “Undivided” during the Celebrating America primetime special. Check out all of the musical moments from Inauguration Day here.
Anuel AA and Ozuna graced the digital cover of Billboard
The reggaetón stars who rewrote the rules of the genre discussed their joint album Los Dioses and their unmatched business saavy, from owning their masters to operating their own labels with major resources. Read the full digital cover story here.
Ashanti and Keyshia Cole’s Verzuz finally went down
The R&B hitmakers of the early aughts gathered 1.1 million viewers for their highly anticipated battle on Thursday after it had been rescheduled twice. The nostalgic evening also paid homage to artists they collaborated with in the past like 2Pac. See Billboard’s scorecard and winner here.
Billie Eilish and Rosalía teamed up for Spanish-language single “Lo Vas a Olvidar”
After teasing fans about their collaboration since spring 2019, the global superstars joined forces on “Lo Vas a Olvidar,” a slow-tempo, melancholic ballad that flaunts Eilish’s Spanish skills, and Rosalía’s enchanting harmonies. The song was teased earlier this week on the official trailer for a special episode HBO’s Euphoria “Part 2: Jules,” which will premiere on Sunday (Jan. 24). Check out the translated lyrics in English here and what Eilish had to say about singing in Spanish here.
DJ Khaled was announced as the host of MTV Africa Music Awards
The emcee will serve as the international host of the MTV Africa Music Awards Kampala 2021 (MAMA) on Feb. 20, which MTV will air globally — in 180 countries — for the first time. DJ Khaled will do the honors from his home in Miami, alongside African co-emcees, while the awards show will be based in Kampala, Uganda. Learn more here.
Silk City made their comeback with a new single featuring Ellie Goulding
The power duo of Mark Ronson and Diplo returned with their new shimmering house anthem “New Love,” featuring Ellie Goulding. It’s Silk City’s first new song since their Grammy-winning Dua Lipa collab “Electricity” in 2018. Watch the “New Love” music video and learn what the artists had to say about returning here.
Lil Wayne and Macklemore dropped last-minute tracks about Trump
Lil Wayne expressed his gratitude to former President Donald Trump after he gave him a last-minute pardon by releasing a new track “Ain’t Got Time.” Meanwhile, Macklemore expressed his relief over the outgoing leader with his scathing “Trump’s Over Freestyle.” Listen to “Ain’t Got Time” here and “Trump’s Over Freestyle” here.
#ShantyTok took over the internet
Shiver me timbers: It’s 2021, and sea shanties have taken over TikTok! TikTokers have been creating dance remixes, transforming pop songs into sea shanties, performing hilarious skits and even dressing up in their best sea costumes for a bit of cosplay. Check out some of the best and funniest sea shanty TikToks here.
Freaks and Geeks returned to streaming with its original soundtrack intact
Fans of the cult favorite high school dramedy that launched the careers of Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, James Franco and Busy Phillips returned to streaming services after music licensing issues had pulled the show from them in the past. The entire series is now available on Hulu, and songs from its original soundtrack, featuring Grateful Dead, The Who, Cheap Trick, Van Halen and Rush, will appear in each episode. Learn more here.
Mariah Carey revived #MC30 celebration with Charmbracelet remix EPs
Mariah Carey released a series of remix EPs that featured multiple versions of fan favorite songs from her 2002 album Charmbracelet as part of her ongoing #MC30 celebration. Check them out here.