Legendary comedian/actor Martin Short ushered in two performances by Hozier for Saturday's (12/21) episode of SNL. The Irish folk-rocker treated the audience to live renditions of "Fairytale of New York" and "Too Sweet." The latter comes from his latest EP, Unheard (Rubyworks/Columbia), while the former is a cover of The Pogues' 1988 If I Should Fall from Grace with God single of the same name. Watch both performances below while we finish off this bûche de Noël.

Aside from Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, few artists have made the cultural impression that Jelly Roll has this year. Whether rapping with Machine Gun Kelly, secretly turning up at a tattoo shop with Prince Harry to announce his appearance at the Invictus Games or creating Beautifully Broken (Broken Bow/Republic), the follow up to his breakthrough country debut Whitsitt Chapel, the multi-genre hybrid’s authentic struggle and joy have stood out amid America’s heightened divisiveness. An ex-convict who found sobriety and turned his life around, Jelly has devoted countless hours in an already packed schedule to visiting juvenile-detention facilities, prisons and addiction centers to empower those struggling to believe in themselves. It’s a life of service as well as a life of music. At 39, his music is his witness—and his reason for living. If you were going to use one word to describe the last year, what would it be? Jelly Roll: Unbelievable. Why that word? It’s literally unbelievable, I truly don’t believe the kind of year I’ve had. You’ve helped so many; does that drive your creativity? Or is deep truth your strongest muse? Deep truth. Telling stories that help people too. So a little bit of both. Beautifully Broken offers dark places as the canvas, but it’s really 12 steps and salvation. Was that by design? One hundred percent. I think it’s important to tell stories that aren’t told or haven’t been told properly because [they haven’t] been told by someone who represents the community of the story. I’m hoping people follow with me. This is a “we” thing, not a “me” thing. I try to stay out of the “me” business. How important is capturing the bleakness? Is it necessary to deliver deliverance to the ones struggling? Or is this a true introspective singer-songwriting record that is just “personal witness”? I’m not sure when this was exactly, but there was a moment when I stopped just writing my story and started to write others’ stories. Realizing I have a platform to not only share how I feel but to speak for those in other situations who aren’t able to speak for themselves. You’re a man on fire. How are you keeping up? What’s the power source: the stories, the smiles, the creativity, the bucket-list items? The stories are probably the biggest thing, and the perspective shifts I see every day. I literally see something every day that inspires me. I got to go play basketball with the juvie kids in Houston yesterday. You can have different conversations when you’re on the court playing ball. “Don’t Want To,” “Devil Down” and “Past Yesterday” talk about the unrelenting desire for our addictions, the ghosts of what’s happened to us. How important is it to acknowledge that the struggle is daily? How do you infuse hope? It’s so important that I’m in a one-day-at-a-time, sometimes one-minute, even one-second-at-a-time [mindset]. I’m just trying to constantly encourage people to make the right next decision. Your vocals—always inside out—have really come into their own. But even more than power, it’s the vulnerability and nuance where your power transcends. “I’m Not Okay” isn’t just about power, it’s the quaver in your vocal and your ability to show listeners that tentative courage and strength. As the man evolved, the music evolved. Most vocalists lose their vocal power as they go; I was almost 35 when I started really exercising my voice in this way. The goal is to keep getting better and better. Women are portrayed as having the same struggle as men but also being the light that pulls you forward. “Hey, Mama” and “Woman” are straight-up love songs, strong, full-tilt. You make strong/vulnerable-guy records, but you always portray women as real, vulnerable and more than romantic objects. It’s the most important parts of my life changing. I can attribute every real and positive or impactful influence to the females in my life. It started with music and my mother—seeing theimpact music could have. It started with my grandmother and how she kept the house and how everyone wanted to be around. The birth of my daughter was a pivotal and integral moment. It’s been well documented at this point, but it was truly one of the moments that you can point to and say this was the shift. I met and married the right person, which changed my life. Lainey Wilson being on “Save Me,” having that be a Grammy-nominated song. There are women on my team who have changed the course of my career. It’s the most important part and is showcased over the years. You have pretty strong ’70s songwriter/California influences, in part from your mom, but your lyrics are very forward. This record could’ve been many things, anything. What inspired this? Everybody knows I’m influenced by it. Why should I be ashamed to sound like my inspiration? Genius album title. What inspired it? It was a way to reference that it’s okay to be—and that we all are—a little broken at times. It’s an extension of the idea the windshield’s larger than the rearview. That permission to come as you are and have faith in where you can go.

With HOP, JYP/Virgin/Imperial/Republic’s Stray Kids have logged their sixth #1 on the HITS Top 50 chart. It’s also the week’s biggest debut, securing 188k+ in activity in its first week. Kendrick Lamar’s pgLang/Interscope set GNX holds steady at #2 after adding nearly 100k in activity this week, while Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (Republic) records 85k+ and falls to #3. TDE/RCA’s SZA climbs three spots to #15 this week with SOS. The increased activity has undoubtedly reflected anticipation for the deluxe version, LANA, which arrived today (12/20). Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre open at #20 and score 37k+ for Missionary (Death Row/Aftermath/Interscope). Snoop's first Dre-produced album since Doggystyle features 50 Cent, Sting, Method Mad, Jelly Roll and Eminem, among other guests. And as an extra holiday treat, peep this compilation of NSFW promotion videos from the Martha Stewart, Eminem and Jimmy Kimmel. Meanwhile, nearly half of the Top 20 is composed of yuletide carols. Michael Bublé’s Christmas and Bing Crosby’s Ultimate Christmas round out the Top 5, while Mariah Carey and Nat King Cole fa-la-la their way into the Top 10. The week's most significant arrival is the aforementioned SZA deluxe. Stay tuned for reports on its first-week performance. Dive into the rest of the chart here, and beware of HITS staffers with sprigs of mistletoe.

TDE/RCA’s SZA has dropped SOS Deluxe: LANA. The album boasts 15 additional tracks, including the Grammy-nominated “Saturn,” “30 for 30” with Kendrick Lamar and “Drive,” which is accompanied by a Bradley Calder-directed video starring Ben Stiller. Written by SZA and produced by ThankGod4Cody and Billy Lemon, “Drive” has generated 1m+ views in less than 24 hours on YouTube and is now the #2 trending video. Earlier this year, SOS won three Grammys, including Best Progressive R&B Album, Best R&B Song for "Snooze" and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Ghost in the Machine." The quintuple-platinum album entered the chart at #1 with more than 318k in its opening week and spawned five Top 10 hits, including "Kill Bill," SZA's first chart-topping single. In 2025 SZA and Lamar will hit more than 19 stadiums in North America on their Grand National Tour. For dates, click here. Stream SOS Deluxe: LANA here and watch the vid for “Drive” below. SOS Deluxe: LANA Track List No More Hiding What Do I Do 30 for 30 (with Kendrick Lamar) Diamond Boy (DTM) BMF Scorsese Baby Daddy Love Me 4 Me Chill Baby My Turn Crybaby Kitchen Get Behind Me (Interlude) Drive Another Life Saturn

Chappell Roan, Drake, Fred again.. For Wasserman Music, the instantly classic drone shot of 110k people rocking out to Chappell Roan at Lollapalooza in August summed up a year of massive artist development, continued global growth and festival flexes that were the envy of the biz. To wit, those eye-popping Chappell crowds, which dominated the chatter around Governors Ball, Outside Lands and Austin City Limits and were the most high-profile Jackie Nalpant and Kiely Mosiman-booked performances to date for an artist who quickly found herself in the vanguard of (fun, meaningful) queer-leaning pop. For a fourth year in a row, Wasserman led the agencies in Coachella bookings and claimed the biggest tally of festival bookings worldwide. It's doubled the revenue generated for clients since 2022. Meanwhile, Drake (Brent Smith) wrapped his It's All a Blur Tour in April with grosses of $320m, the biggest ever for a hip-hop tour. Wasserman kept it youthful with modern-day troubadours Noah Kahan and Tyler Childers, who both leveled up to amphitheaters and arenas, while its A&R spidey sense was right on the nose with the emergence of Fred again.. (Ben Shprits, Evan Hancock), who sold 77.5k tix as a headliner at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and John Summit, who went clean at Madison Square Garden and Kia Forum. No one was happier on that front than new Wasserman Music President and EDM lifer Lee Anderson, himself still the agent of record for genre titans Skrillex, Disclosure and Zedd. Warhorses Ed Sheeran (Marty Diamond), Imagine Dragons (Corrie Martin) and the Dave Matthews Band and Phish (Mike Greisch) kept on rockin' in what's left of the free world, while Kenny Chesney (Mike Betterton) sizzled through another stadium summer, grossing more than $160m, per Pollstar. New signings included Future, who filled arenas with Metro Boomin. GloRilla, Sean Paul and D'Angelo also joined the family, the latter having only played live twice since 2016. Could a return to concert duty be in the offing? The company's new Orchestral division got off to a quick start in 2024 thanks to successful tours behind Frozen and Final Fantasy VII IP, and the burgeoning Brand Partnerships unit enjoyed double-digit growth courtesy of $100m in client offers—among them, Kahan and Amex, SZA and Mastercard, Jack Harlow and New Balance and Tyla and Coke. But perhaps most importantly of all, no you CANNOT have the Friends & Family form for Kendrick Lamar and SZA's Grand National extravaganza, which will drop jaws in stadiums next summer. And, oh yeah—that Kendrick fella is also headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show, 2/9 in New Orleans. Ed Sheeran, SZA, Kendrick Lamar

The Sweet Relief Musicians Fund will host a benefit concert celebrating the legacy of Joan Baez on 2/8 at San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium. Joining the legendary folk singer onstage will be Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Tom Morello, Joe Henry and Hozier, with additional performers and guests to be announced. Tickets go on sale today. “Joan Baez is a mountain on our landscape and has been for the entirety of my lifetime,” noted Henry, a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of Grammy-winning albums. “As much as any artist I know, she has dismantled the wall between public artistry and personal conviction—investing each with the other to create a body of work that, in the words of Woody Guthrie, ‘comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.’ Come February 8th—in her name and in these wicked times—we will raise our voices as Joan has.” “We’re beyond thrilled to celebrate 30 years of Sweet Relief while honoring the great Joan Baez and her amazing career,” said Sweet Relief Executive Director Aric Steinberg. “Joan has supported our charity for many years, and it’s a privilege to honor her this year alongside so many incredible artists. I’m so grateful to Joan and all of the performers who will help ensure that our music community continues to have Sweet Relief as a resource for emergency financial assistance.”

Verve/Republic and Universal Pictures heard the chorus of voices from Wicked super-fans and dropped the sing-along version of Wicked: The Soundtrack today (12/20). The revamped ST strips away the vocals of the blockbuster’s stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, letting listeners take the lead, singing along with the orchestral arrangements and backing vocals of the original recording. On Christmas Day, Universal Pictures will release special sing-along screenings of the Jon M. Chu-directed film, bringing the audience-participation event to more than 1,000 theaters throughout the U.S., Canada and select international markets. An enhanced version of the movie will feature lyrics onscreen. Erivo and Grande will provide an introduction. Wicked: The Soundtrack continues to dominate the streamers, with “Defying Gravity,” “What Is This Feeling?” and “Popular” all lodged in the Top 30 at Spotify and Apple Music. The franchise's second foray, Wicked: For Good, is set to hit theaters on 11/21/25. HITS is eager to dive deep into Wicked: Sing-Along, though we’re pretty sure Ariana’s injunction against us singing along with her remains in effect.

HITS has obtained the holiday missive sent out by Sony Music Publishing chief Jon Platt to the pubco’s songwriters. You can read it in its entirety below. Dear Sony Music Publishing Songwriters and Composers, 2024 has been an explosive year in music thanks to your exceptional talent and creativity, delighting listeners worldwide. On behalf of our entire team, thank you for trusting us and allowing us to be a part of your journeys. This year, we’ve focused on expanding and enhancing our support for you. From technology advancements to growing collaboration opportunities, we’ve refined our services to fit your needs today and tomorrow. A highlight this year has been the growth of our creative resources, including the opening of our new workspace and songwriting hub in Los Angeles. With five writer studios, six listening rooms, and a state-of-the-art recording studio featuring two independent recording booths and an artist lounge, we’ve built a space that supports every step of the creative process. In 2025, we’ll keep growing with you, focusing on innovating our creative and administration capabilities, strengthening our community, and extending our global support network. As we welcome this new year, I look forward to celebrating the amazing music you’ll create. Wishing you all a joyful holiday season. See you in 2025!

Def Jam Recordings is continuing its 40th anniversary celebration with the first music-focused FAST channel (short for "free, ad-supported television") on Tubi. Produced by Mercury Studios, the Def Jam 40 Channel will feature music videos, documentaries and live performances by Def Jam artists like LL COOL J, Mariah Carey, Beastie Boys, John Legend and DMX. “Over the last 40 years, Def Jam has consistently led the charge in pioneering new ways for our artists to express their creativity and connect with fans,” said Def Jam CEO/Chairman Tunji Balogun. “As we continue to evolve in the music landscape, we are excited to partner with Tubi in an effort to reach new audiences by embracing dynamic, innovative platforms.” Mercury SVP Digital Content & Partnerships Dan Borrelli pointed out, “FAST channels like these can give artists the ability to reach fans easily and build lasting relationships with audiences." Fans in the U.K. will be able to watch the channel on Samsung TV+. Tune in on Tubi here. In related news, some of us are old enough to remember when every channel was a "FAST channel," and we just called it TV.