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Andrew Del Villar is set to take over as the new CEO of regional Mexican music powerhouse Del Records. The transition that he and his dad, Ángel Del Villar, have been “planning for years” will take effect Thursday, Nov. 6.
The 26-year-old will step in amid his dad’s legal battles as he faces a prison sentence that will begin on Dec. 1. Over the summer, Ángel was sentenced to four years in prison following his conviction on felony charges of doing business with a concert promoter linked to Mexican drug cartels. Now, the California-based indie record label — founded by Ángel in 2008 and previously home to música mexicana giants like Eslabon Armado, Ariel Camacho and Gerardo Ortiz — is looking to enter a new era with a new leader in tow.
“While we never talked about when this transition would actually happen, I’m excited because my dad and I had been planning this for years, it’s been a while and it’s finally happening,” Andrew tells Billboard over Zoom, just days before stepping into his new role.
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Previously Del Records’ COO, Andrew began working for his dad’s company as a teenager and mainly worked behind the scenes, booking theater or arena shows for the label’s roster and flagging artists on social media that he thought his dad should sign, including sierreño acts Eslabon Armado and T3R Elemento.
“I started getting involved like 7 or 8 years ago and started from the bottom; collecting tickets, charging when we were doing the nightclubs, and booking U.S. shows in theaters and arenas,” Andrew says. “Then, I kinda of became A&R, sending my dad artists I was finding on social media. I would say, ‘Hey, what do you think about them?’ Just like my dad, I have a good ear and can identify who has potential.”
While Andrew is open to branching out to different genres, for now, Del Records will continue to focus on signing música mexicana acts. “[Regional Mexican] has been our bread and butter,” he adds. “DEL has done a lot over the years, and I want to keep that legacy alive, and keep signing artists and build them from the ground up,” he explains. “But this new era will differentiate from my dad’s run because I will launch new marketing and promotion strategies, leaning heavily on social media. That’s the biggest marketing you can invest in. There’s more to just posting on social media, you need a team dedicated to taking that post to the next level.”
Ángel del Villar & Andrew del Villar
Patty Othon
Andrew is revamping his dad’s “Canta Con Del” initiative that launched 10 years ago, inviting local California acts to sing at the family’s restaurant for a shot at getting signed by the label. Andrew will relaunch that initiative but open it to artists from all over the world who can submit their songs/performances on social media. “There’s talent everywhere and we want people to be heard and get an opportunity,” he says.
Over the years, Andrew gained confidence to make decisions, encouraged by his dad to find his voice. “He would tell me, ‘Hey, mijo, whatever you want to say, whatever you want to do, let’s roll with it.’ He’s given me that confidence to speak up.”
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Andrew further adds, “My dad has always been my role model, everything that has been thrown at him is a lot, we’ve had these talks for years and he’s always been positive about everything. He’s told me to never let things get to me because in our genre, and the industry in general, people don’t wish you well. But never let the negativity get to you.”
Del Records’ roster today includes Lenin Ramírez, Yahir Saldívar, Sucesión M and Panchito Arredondo, plus newly added acts Marco Granillo, Andi Luan and Cobian Montana.
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Ariana Grande has been open about the fact that portraying Glinda in the Wicked films has been healing for her as an artist. But in a recent interview, the pop star — who was previously managed by Scooter Braun — shared that signing with a new team of representatives has also played a big part in her falling back in love with making music.
In a New York Times profile published Wednesday (Nov. 5), Grande was candid about feeling unhappy with her music career before she was cast in Wicked a few years ago, noting that she once thought she’d never go on tour again after her exhaustive 2019 Sweetener trek. “There was something broken about my relationship to pop music that was healed recently through the time away,” she told the publication.
“I think it got away from me in a way I didn’t expect,” she continued. “There’s a thing that comes along with your dreams coming true that feels dangerous at times … Nothing prepares you for what comes with it. Until quite recently, it was really hard for me to navigate and I think it stripped a lot of joy out of this for me.”
Despite her prior reservations, the Grammy winner is now gearing up to hit the road again in 2026 for a small tour supporting 2024 Billboard 200-topper Eternal Sunshine, which she dropped after previously thinking that she’d never make an album again. She’s said before that recentering acting after primarily focusing on her pop-star duties was essential to her, but while speaking to NYT, she also hinted that the people she used to work with discouraged her from pursuing a balance between her two passions.
“By the way, I have a different team now,” she said on the subject. “Said with love, but that was a piece.”
Billboard has reached out to Braun’s rep for comment.
The interview comes more than two years after Grande parted ways with SB Projects, where she had been managed by Braun on and off since 2013. The departure came at a time when several major clients were also announcing their splits from the music mogul, including Demi Lovato and J Balvin.
In June 2024,Braun revealedthat he was retiring from music management altogether. At the time, he said that he would “continue to root” for all of the big names that had once been on his roster, which also included Justin Bieber and Tori Kelly.
This past June, Braun echoed those sentiments while guesting on The Diary of a CEO podcast. “To see Justin move forward and succeed, to see Ariana with what’s happened with Wicked in this past year … Everybody that I’ve ever had a chance to work with, to see them go on and do great things on their own, it’s awesome,” he said at the time.
Shortly after leaving SB Projects, Grande signed with Brandon Creed’s company, Good World Management. A source told Billboard at the time, “She wants the focus to be her art and [Creed] puts her artistry and vision before anything else.”
Two years later, it seems as though Grande has been able to do just that with her new team behind her.
“I’ve never felt this connected to my art or inspired, and that’s just been such a tremendous gift,” she told NYT. “It’s like, oh, I don’t actually have to take on those things that were projected onto me. I can focus on my art, and that can be a separate entity. But I had to give myself the permission to think that.”
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A$AP Rocky knows how long fans have been waiting for his new album, and joked that the project will probably never see the light of day.
In a brief chat with Maurice Kamara’s The People Gallery uploaded on Tuesday (Nov. 4), Rocky was asked, while navigating New York City’s subway system, to give a status update on his long-awaited fourth studio album.
“Don’t Be Dumb?” Rocky says. “Never dropping.”
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Kamara and Rocky then both burst out into laughter. “They gon’ kill us for that one,” the rapper added.
Rocky accepted the Fashion Icon Award that he had won at the CFDA Fashion Awards on Monday (Nov. 3). While on the red carpet for the event, the musician spoke about welcoming daughter Rocki with partner Rihanna, with whom he also shares sons RZA and Riot Rose.
“Yo, being a girl dad is amazing,” Rocky told Extra. “I mean, check me out — I’m glowing.”
It’s been seven years since Rocky dropped off his last album, Testing. Regardless of the delay in new music, 2025 has been a crazy time for the Harlem rapper. He was found not guilty in his felony shooting case involving former associate A$AP Relli in February, welcomed his new daughter in September, and starred alongside Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s latest film, Highest 2 Lowest.
In a new interview Rocky did with Perfect Magazine to talk about that film, Rocky also took a moment to talk about why he rarely drops music.
“It’s about who did it the best,” Rocky said. “Everything I do is based off building legacy. That’s why I’m not so eager to just drop, drop, drop. I don’t do things to just try and stay relevant, or keep my name in the conversation. I try to do natural things, creative, ambitious things that really satisfy me.”
Check out the vlog below:
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As Rosalía readied the release of her anticipated album Lux (out Friday, Nov. 7), the global pop star was also filming for the upcoming third season of Euphoria.
“It was very challenging to do both. I was recording the album and producing and checking mixes, everything, while I was shooting Euphoria,” shares the Billboard cover star. “I had to divide my mind between both, and it was the first time, also, that I was doing something like this — preparing a character, studying lines. These are new things for me. It’s very different from making an album and making music. So that was a real challenge.”
Plus, despite her fame, she still had to audition for a role: “Girl, of course, claro!” But once she landed the part and filming began, she says Euphoria co-star Alexa Demie had the best advice to share. “She’s been a very close friend of mine, and she’s been very supportive. The way she approaches it is so effortless, and that’s something very beautiful to see and very inspiring.”
As for who has the best music taste on staff? “Definitely me,” she says with a laugh, before offering another answer. “Zendaya. Because Zendaya recommended Motomami to the director.”
“When we were filming, I admire her so much, I didn’t want to distract her at all,” continues Rosalía. “So I wouldn’t talk to her too much. But when she would be off set, then she would explain that she knew about my music, and that made me very happy. It meant a lot, because I really like what she does. She can do it all.”
Rosalía can, too. With Euphoria on her resume, she reveals that she would love to work with Quentin Tarantino or Sofia Coppola. But until then — and until the third season of Euphoria finally airs in 2026 — fans can cling to the singer’s fourth album, Lux, and read her full Billboard cover story.
Our writers’ picks for the very best bands since rock became a permanent part of popular music.
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We Are Moving the Needle, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the gender gap in the music industry, has announced the return of the Resonator Awards on Jan. 27 at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. The inaugural edition of the event was held in 2024, but the planned 2025 edition was not held due to the Los Angeles-area wildfires.
A kickoff to Grammy week, the 2026 Resonator Awards will showcase the contributions of women producers, engineers, and creators behind-the-board and will include an awards ceremony and live performances.
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Funds raised from the event will go to We Are Moving The Needle, a nonprofit founded by Grammy-winning mastering engineer Emily Lazar. The organization seeks to empower women and non-binary producers, engineers, and creators to succeed through scholarships and grants, mentorship, research, advocacy, and community events.
“When I founded We Are Moving The Needle, it was born from a simple belief: music should sound like the world we live in,” Lazar said in a statement. “Every voice, every story, every sound. The Resonator Awards honor the ones who’ve kicked that door down and challenge us all to keep it open.”
Lazar made history in 2019 as the first female mastering engineer to win a Grammy for best engineered album, non-classical for Beck’s Colors. Two years later, she made history again as the first mastering engineer to land three album of the year nominations in the same year for her contributions to HAIM’s Women in Music, Vol. III, Coldplay’s Everyday Life and Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 3. She has also received Grammy nods over the years for work with Foo Fighters, Vampire Weekend, Sia and The Bird and the Bee, as well as on Collier’s follow-up album, Djesse Vol. 4.
Lazar founded We Are Moving The Needle in 2021. The organization has awarded more than $875,000 in scholarships to creators to attend audio education programs globally and supports more than 20 chapters on college campuses. Every scholarship recipient receives tools, gear, guidance, and mentorship from their soundboard, a community of top artists, producers, engineers and industry leaders, including HAIM, Brittany Howard, Leslie Ann Jones, Brandi Carlile, Shirley Halperin, Jenna Andrews and Molly Neuman.
Jenny Eliscu hosted the inaugural Resonator Awards, which were held during Grammy Week 2024. Honorees in attendance included Alanis Morissette, Corinne Bailey Rae, Caroline Polachek, Catherine Marks, Laura Sisk, Jennifer Decilveo, Michael Goldstone and Christine Thomas. Inaugural Hall of Fame inductees included Alicia Keys and Linda Perry.
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Rosalía‘s ambitious fourth album, Lux, doesn’t officially drop until Friday (Nov. 7), but the Barcelona-born singer has already gotten the co-sign of a lifetime from an artist who knows a thing or two about musical transformations.
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On Wednesday morning (Nov. 5) Madonna posted an image of the album’s provocative cover — on which Rosalía wears a nun’s habit and hugs herself from under her white shirt — on her Instagram Story with the message, “Thank you @Rosalia. I can’t stop listening! You are a true visionary!!!
The high praise comes as Rosalía gears up to release the follow-up to 2022’s Motomami, which found her dipping into pop, reggaetón, hip-hop, electronic and other genres, landing the singer her first album to chart on the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No. 33. Lux is yet another hard turn into an experimental zone, an orchestral, operatic epic recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra that mashes together history and spirituality across 18 tracks on which the singer Rosalía sings in 13 different languages including her native Spanish, as well as Catalan, English, Latin, Sicilian, Ukrainian, Arabic and German, among others.
She spent three years on writing the LP’s lyrics and instrumentation, which reference notable women from Saint Rosalia of Palermo to Chinese Taoist master/poet Sun Bu’er, the biblical figure of Miriam, sister of Moses, and punk godmother Patti Smith. “In general, just to be in this world is a lot; sometimes it’s overwhelming,” she says in her new Billboard cover story. “In the best-case scenario, the idea would be that whoever hears it feels light and feels hope. Because that was how it was made and where it was made from.”
Fans got their first taste of the results last month when Rosalía dropped the single “Berghain,” which features Björk and Yves Tumor and a string orchestra introduction, followed by a Carmina Burana-esque chorus and Rosalía singing in an operatic soprano in three languages. “This album has a completely different sound than any of the projects that I’ve done before. It was a challenge for me to do a more orchestral project and learn how to use an orchestra, understand all the instruments, all the possibilities, and learn and study from amazing composers in history and say, ‘OK, that’s what’s been done. What can I do that feels personal and honest for me?,’” she says about the intensive recording and writing process.
The genre-hopping project has also earned high praise from “Berghain”collaborator Björk, who tweeted out her enthusiasm last week on X, writing, “so extremely honoured to be on this song with rosalía ! it is so thrilling to watch this woman grow : congratulations to her with this incredible album switching genre kung-fu style this concept is fierce !”
Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield made history in Detroit on Tuesday (November) after she was elected as the first woman mayor of the Michigan city. Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield will utilize her political expertise to shed light on the needs of Detroit residents, promising equity and inclusion during her victory speech.
Mary Sheffield, 38, earned a commanding win over her challenger, Triumph Church Pastor Solomon Kinloch, Jr., to the tune of 77 to 23 percent of the vote, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
“I am told it was the largest margin (of victory) in the history of the city of Detroit,” Sheffield said to a group of reporters before her speech. “I feel like today was a mandate by our city. Everyone is going to have a seat at the table with this administration.”
During a spirited victory speech, Sheffield noted the historic significance of her win and thanked the city for backing her vision.
“Tonight, our city adds another chapter to its great history. Throughout Detroit’s 324-year history, 75 mayors have led this city. Not one has been a woman. But tonight, Detroit, we know that changes. And you changed it, Detroit,” Sheffield said from Detroit’s MGM Grand.
Mary Sheffield previously served 12 years as a member of the city council ahead of announcing her mayoral bid in 2023.
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Photo: Getty
Randy Madden, a singer who competed on season eight of American Idol, was arrested in Ventura County, Calif., and is facing multiple felony charges.
According to court documents viewed by Billboard, the 45-year-old musician faces six felony charges, including unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 18, as well as sending harmful matter, luring and dissuading a witness from reporting a crime. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Public online records show that the date of violation was July 21, and he was taken into custody on Oct. 30 before being released on bail early Tuesday (Nov. 4) morning after paying a $100,000 bond. A criminal protective order has been filed for the victim, according to court records.
Madden’s next hearing for the case will take place on Nov. 13, with a second hearing set for Nov. 17.
Billboard has reached out to the Ventura County Police Department, the district attorney’s office and Madden.
The aspiring rock star tried out for Idol in 2008, back when the program still had its original lineup of judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. He never made it past his first audition, earning unanimous “No” votes from the trio after performing Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Cowell was especially tough on him, calling Madden — who had started to cry — “cliche” and a “drama queen.”
Kris Allen would go on to win the season.
Before his brief time on Idol, Madden played in a band called Sexual Harassment. In August 2024, he started a GoFundMe to help cover his living expenses and medical costs after suffering severe complications from a ligament replacement surgery he’d had on his left leg in May of that year. He was still seeking donations this past June, at which time he shared that he still couldn’t walk without crutches or a cane and anticipated needing at least two more procedures to treat the issue.
American Idol is now on its 24th season, which will premiere in January next year with judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted or abused, contact RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline for 24/7 support and resources at 800-656-HOPE or via the website.
Trending on Billboard Rosalía speaks with Billboard about the confidence that divine inspiration brought her for her new album ‘LUX’ and explains how JUSTICE taught her the correct pronunciation of Sauvignon Blanc. How will fans be surprised by this album? Rosalía: I think they will be surprised. I hope they will be, but you never […]
