Jennifer Lopez and Lady Gaga attend the 61st Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on February 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.
David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/GIWhen the 2022 Oscar nominations were unveiled last week, a lot of fans were surprised that Lady Gaga‘s buzzy performance in House of Gucci didn’t make the cut. And their confusion didn’t come out of nowhere: Gaga’s turn as Patrizia Reggiani in the Ridley Scott-directed film had already garnered her acting nominations with the Screen Actors Guild, the BAFTAs, the Critics’ Choice Awards, the Golden Globes and even a win for best actress from the New York Film Critics Circle.
But Gaga is hardly the first female pop star to be overlooked by the Academy (her 2019 double-nomination for lead actress and best original song for A Star Is Born notwithstanding). The snub brought to mind Jennifer Lopez‘s omission from the 2020 Oscar nods, when she was thought to be a strong contender for her performance as a veteran exotic dancer in Hustlers. Oh, and there’s another female musician whose name was left on the cutting-room floor just this year: Haim‘s Alana Haim was a possible best supporting actress nominee for her debut film role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza.
On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith (with an expert assist from Billboard awards editor Paul Grein!) are digging into the history of our favorite pop divas being passed over by the Oscars.
Also on the show, we’ve got chart news about how the music of Encanto continues to hold firm atop both the Billboard 200 albums chart and on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, and how Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby blast straight in at No. 2 on the Hot 100 with their collaborative single “Do We Have a Problem?”
The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and senior director of Billboard charts Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)
Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Rosalía for their new collaboration, Where Is Gone?.
The song features on the Irish rock band's forthcoming album, Dopamine Chamber, which arrives on Friday (16.10.26). For guitarist Carlos O’Connell, working with the Spanish superstar is particularly special because of his own Spanish roots.
He explained: “I’ve admired Rosalía ever since her debut album, which I thought was absolutely beautiful.
“What excited me most was the way she continued to preserve Spain's musical traditions, something that felt spiritually connected to what we've been trying to achieve with Irish music. Having roots in both countries, it's been really special to witness. "She's an artist who has continued to amaze me at every point in her career.”
Frontman Grian Chatten has also described the collaboration with Rosalía as one of the most memorable achievements of his career.
He revealed that he felt "humbled" when she agreed to lend her voice to the band's album.
Speaking to NPR, Grian said: “I've always felt there's something almost like a single big idea that I'm personally trying to communicate to the world before I get old and die, if that makes sense. There's one thing I think I'll spend my life trying to express. I have a feeling she has a similar outlook. … I mean, she's an amazing arranger, composer and lyricist. It means so much that she wanted to sing on something we'd put together. It's definitely one of the highlights of my career.”
Rosalía's links to Irish rock music extend beyond Fontaines D.C. She also offered inspiration and helped develop the Spanish lyrics for U2's The Mirror Maker (Rosalía), a track from their forthcoming album, Carnaval de Luz.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last week, she spoke about frontman Bono, saying: “I don't know him personally, but he sent me a text explaining that he was working on a new project and had written a song called The Mirror Maker."
Rosalía joked that Bono had invented a few words of his own.
She recalled telling him: “I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I told him he could create his own language if he wanted to.”
She described the opportunity to collaborate with the 66 year old music veteran as a real privilege.
She added: “Bono is a legend.
“It's amazing.”
Bono recently revealed that he was worried about seeming like a stalker when he reached out to Rosalía to ask whether he could name the song after her.