Melinda Newman is Billboard’s Executive Editor, West Coast and Nashville. After beginning her career as an intern at Billboard during college in Nashville, she eventually became Billboard’s West Coast Bureau Chief from 1998 to 2006. She then became a top entertainment and culture freelance writer for more than a decade, contributing to The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone Country, Country Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Forbes, Parade, Entrepreneur, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, The Boot, Variety and many other outlets. She reported on issues from around the globe, including Lebanon, Peru and Poland. She returned to Billboard in 2017 as West Coast Editor. In February 2019, she expanded her duties to include Nashville and has greatly increased Billboard’s coverage of country music both in its pages and on billboard.com. Her favorite place in the world is in the pit of a Bruce Springsteen concert.