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10 Mar 2023

Billboard x Doritos® partner to take flavor to ANOTHER LEVEL® in Austin, TX

Taking flavor to ANOTHER LEVEL®, Billboard and Doritos® are partnering to bring bold flavor to Austin, TX this upcoming SXSW®. On Thursday, March 16, Doritos® will present Billboard’s THE STAGE at SXSW® concert headlined by Lil Yachty featuring performances from Armani White and Lola Brooke at the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park. 

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Concert attendees will enjoy their favorite food leveled up with Doritos®️ Dips, available in Cool Ranch®️ Jalapeno and Spicy Nacho, and Doritos’ new Sweet & Tangy BBQ flavored chips. The dips, inspired by the signature Doritos®️ flavors we love, enhance your favorite meals and snacks because they go with everything and make any food extra. 

Later that night, in addition to SXSW® pass holders, fans have the chance to transform their late night dining with an after hours food experience; Doritos®️ After Dark™ at Billboard House. 

Featuring a custom menu, Doritos®️ After Dark™ will lead fans into a new world of Doritos after-hours eats with globally-inspired foods, including fan favorites like Doritos®️ Spicy Sweet Chili Chicken Bites and Doritos® BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos made with your favorite Doritos®️ flavors and paired perfectly with new Doritos®️ Dips.

Heading to Austin? Starting today and running through March 14, fans can sign up for the Doritos®️ After Dark™ at Billboard House Sweepstakes, earning a chance to win a pair of tickets to the exclusive event. Winners will be announced the day before the event, on March 15th. 

And don’t worry if you don’t win the sweepstakes! There will be additional surprises at THE STAGE at SXSW® for concert attendees to experience Doritos®️ After Dark™. 

See you in Austin!

 

10 Mar 2023

Rancho Humilde Executives Meet With U.S. Senator Alex Padilla to Discuss Immigration & Voting Rights

Led by CEO Jimmy Humilde, indie label Rancho Humilde executives traveled to Washington, D.C., on March 1 to meet with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.).

Joined by the label’s co-founding partners José Becerra and Roque Venegas, the meeting, requested by Humilde, focused on discussing key issues that affect the Latin community in the U.S., such as a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the country. The last time the U.S. immigration system was meaningfully reformed was in 1986, when then President Ronald Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act.

Additionally, Humilde expressed his “desire for U.S. consulates and embassies to create panel discussions and educational programs that enable the discovery of hidden talents that can be developed in the U.S. market,” according to a press release. The label executives also met at the White House with President Joe Biden’s senior advisory team to “assess possible ways for the Latin community to participate more in important voting processes at the national level.”

While the discussions in Washington have yet to lead to any sort of reform or the introduction of any new policies, Humilde and his L.A.-based team have been active on a local level. Most recently, Rancho Humilde and its artist Fuerza Regida made a joint donation of $20,000 to the organization Inclusive Action for the City, whose work is promoting the legalization of street vending.

“Street vending should be recognized in the city as an honest trade,” Humilde said in a statement. “It is not only a source of job creation, but it’s also a sector that boosts consumption in the city. I understand their hardships and concern, because at one point it was there where I found my living and that of my family.”

In February, Humilde hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Producers chart (dated Feb. 4) for the first time, thanks to nine production credits on the Hot Latin Songs survey. Rancho Humilde, whose roster includes artists such asIvonne Galáz, Junior H and Fuerza Regida, finished at No. 4 on Billboard’s 2022 year-end Hot Latin Songs Labels recap.

10 Mar 2023

How Karol G Made History With ‘Mañana Será Bonito’

Back in 2017, at a Universal Music Latin Entertainment convention in Miami, Jesús López played the newly-released “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee for those in attendance. “We all thought it was a hit,” says López, the chairman/CEO of Universal Music Latin America and Iberian Peninsula. “Admittedly, never what it became, but we knew it was something special.”

That evening, López also introduced two new signings: Sebastian Yatra and Karol G. The two Colombians, he said, “are the two big new artists in the company.”

It would take “Despacito” six months to make history as it soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed there for a then-record 16 weeks, tying the time spent by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” at No. 1 in 1995-96. (The record would eventually be broken by Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road.)

It took Karol G six years to make a different kind of history, as the first woman to place an all-Spanish album at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her latest project, Mañana Será Bonito. The set earned 94,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 2, according to Luminate, its starting sum largely powered by streaming activity and with single “TQG” with fellow Colombian Shakira as one of its driving forces.

But there was no one tipping point for Mañana, or for Karol G. Rather, the success was the result of long-term planning and a series of key actions over the years, beginning with the door that “Despacito” opened, and including a steady stream of releases — four albums total; opening a 2019 arena tour for Gloria Trevi, which expanded her Mexican-American fan base; her hit “Tusa” with Nicki Minaj; and her 2021 album, KG2516.

“We haven’t stopped,” says López, who, thanks to another history-making moment, is Billboard‘s Executive of the Week.

Karol G has been on an upward trajectory that’s only accelerated the past year. Regardless, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200 is remarkable. Short-term, when did the road to No. 1 begin?

We began in April 2022 with Coachella. We started to have meetings to plan the launch of [new single] “Provenza,” and that’s when we began to plan the next album. I wanted February 2023, but Karol was aiming for November 2022 to coincide with the Latin Grammys. Then, between production and her tour, the date moved. Beginning in Coachella we designed a truly clear strategy to release singles one after another with a story for each single. Remember, singles now have a narrative behind them. We started climbing step by step. Clearly there was no tipping point, but rather different important moments.

Was the No. 1 a goal, and why did you see it possible?

Once we saw those first-day numbers we thought we could be No. 1, and we worked every campaign we thought could help. Initially, we were aiming to beat Bad Bunny’s numbers at that moment. If we hit 40,000 to 50,000 equivalent album units, we would place higher. Then the data started coming in. The weekend after release we knew we were in the battle for the No. 1, and by Monday I thought it would happen. My team was a little more reticent, and I was more optimistic, which is usually not the case. But I’m also more analytical and I crunched my numbers and it looked like we would be No. 1. Karol was all over it and she’d ask every day if we need more posts or more tweets. The artists and the company all came together because we knew what this meant. It was once again a very big statement for Universal Music.

Karol took up painting in the past couple of years, and the album cover, as well as the merch generated around it, uses her artwork. Was the merch important in this release?

Yes. All that began last year with Coachella, and we started to experiment when we released [singles] “Provenza” and “Gatubela,” designing merch that would bring her fans closer. The cover of Mañana Será Bonito, for example, will be a mythical cover, and it represents Latinidad and colombianidad 100%. I love Karol’s integral approach to things. And she’s very persistent. She works each detail very thoroughly. She has her ideas, and then she truly executes them very well.

How important was TikTok in the album’s success?

It’s not essential to the album, but it is for the singles. TikTok is the new radio; it breaks songs, and that’s how we’re using it. It’s been very important in this stage for singles like “Provenza,” “Gatubela,” “Cairo,” and right now our focus is to have “TQG” break records as well. The number of creations that fans are making with the music on TikTok is astronomical. It has to do with the storyline of empowerment around the song, and the collaboration between a legend [Karol G] and a legend legend [Shakira].

Shakira is signed to Sony. Was it complex to close the collab with her?

No. Not at all. We already have rules in place amongst ourselves [labels]. When we bring two names together, we know what we have to do. If two artists want to work together, we don’t put obstacles [in the way].

Given her No. 1, I have to think some of Karol’s consumption comes from the mainstream and not necessarily from Latins. Have you been working that market as well?

Yes. Since “Tusa,” everything we do we also work on the mainstream. We have PR teams, radio teams. But overall, it’s about people communicating differently today. There are no barriers. If you sell 12,000 tickets in a city that doesn’t have a big Latin population, clearly you’re reaching non-Latins. At school, a Latin girl sits next to her non-Latin friend. And since Latin is hot right now, there’s greater consumption. But, there’s still much to do in the mainstream, and I believe her tours and endorsements, as well as this single, will allow us to continue growing that market. The single and the album are already big hits in countries like Italy and France, but we need to do more work in England, for example.

In your opinion, what’s Karol’s appeal?

She’s a mix of many things. Obviously, getting here is not just about singing well or being clever. She is, first and foremost, a workaholic, meticulous, takes care of every detail. In the urban world, she’s a woman who sings very well, and that allows her to both rap and phrase beautifully; her songs have more range. And she’s very good at grasping where she wants to be, and she’s a natural role model for women who didn’t have role models. She’s very confident in who she is and that has allowed millions of women to identify with her and feel valued. She’s the girl next door. Karol is a diamond. Really, it’s not easy to find all these qualities in a person.

How important was this No. 1? And what’s next?

I don’t want people to always think ours is the company of “Despacito” or J Balvin or “Mi Gente” or even “Macarena.” Sometimes we forget what we’ve done. This success was very important to Latin women overall, to Karol G, but also to Universal Music Latino. The point is to write the next story. And the next, next, next great one will be Feid. I think he’ll be the biggest artist of 2023.

Previous Executive of the Week: Val Pensa of RCA

10 Mar 2023

Why Sabrina Carpenter Almost Didn’t Release Her New Album’s Biggest Hit

During one of the sessions for Emails I Can’t Send, Sabrina Carpenter’s 2022 album full of post-heartbreak contemplations, she hit a mental wall. “We were writing, and I was like, ‘This isn’t how I’m actually feeling right now,’ ” the singer recalls. “I had to get outside of my head.”

Over the next two hours, Carpenter and co-writer Steph Jones created “Nonsense,” a cheeky, sumptuous rhythmic-pop track about being so flustered around someone that she gets tongue-tied. But then she shrugged off the song, figuring it didn’t fit with the tone of the album, and nearly left it off the tracklist altogether.

“That laid-back approach,” she reflects now, “is what I think actually made it special.”

Much like Carpenter, 23, listeners didn’t immediately latch on to “Nonsense” — but since the July release of Emails, the song has turned into the album’s biggest hit. Late last year, a sped-up version went viral, prompting Carpenter to release an official accelerated take.

“There’s something addictive about hearing a song sped up,” she says. “It gives it new life and more energy.” She then uploaded a holiday version of “Nonsense” to streaming services, building toward its breakthrough in 2023, beginning with a highly choreographed performance on the Jan. 4 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as well as a TikTok dance routine pegged to the second verse.

The single has reached a No. 56 high on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned 77.2 million U.S. on-demand streams through March 2, according to Luminate. It has also given Carpenter — who released four albums on Hollywood Records before making her Island Records debut with Emails — her best-performing pop radio hit, with four weeks in the top 20 of the Pop Airplay chart.

There’s still more “Nonsense” to come: Carpenter announced a deluxe edition of Emails will be out next Friday (Mar. 17), one day after she kicks off her 2023 headlining tour, and confirms that a remix to the song with another artist is on the way. No matter how high the song climbs, Carpenter says that the unexpected reaction to it has been extremely gratifying.

“When you’re seen for things that feel so close to who you are at your deepest, darkest self,” Carpenter says, “it’s a beautiful thing.”

This story will appear in the March 11, 2023, issue of Billboard.

10 Mar 2023

We Asked the Experts Why Jamie Lee Curtis Can’t See Coldplay at Noon

At some point, music fans of a certain age inevitably ask the same question: why do shows have to start so late? Maybe you’re too cool to admit it, but Oscar-nominee Jamie Lee Curtis isn’t. The 64-year-old acting legend recently told The Hollywood Reporter on the Independent Spirit Awards red carpet and the Today show that as an early riser, she’s annoyed that there are no rock show matinees.

“I would love to go see Coldplay. I would love it,” she said. “The problem is, I’m not going to see Coldplay if they start their show at 9 and there’s an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1 p.m.” Coldplay, on break from their mega Music of the Spheres world tour — which, for the record, has them taking the stage around 9 p.m. most nights — could not be reached for comment at press time.

The Halloween star has a point, though. So, since she asked, Billboard reached out to some prominent venue owners and promoters to ask them why JLC can’t sing a “Hymn For the Weekend” and still be home in time for the evening news.

“Just like when Jamie Lee Curtis’ movies play in theaters, they need to sell popcorn. Most of our margin is on drinks,” says Peter Shapiro, owner of Relix magazine, as well as the Brooklyn Bowl venues in New York, Las Vegas and Nashville and a number of other clubs. “It’s hard to sell drinks at 1 p.m.”

Shapiro says with the majority of ticket revenue and service fees going to the band (and ticketing agencies), the headliners take home most of the night’s haul, leaving the venue to live off ancillary revenue, most of which comes from the bar.

And while drinks play a huge part in keeping the lights on, Shapiro says there is another crucial element keeping shows after dark: mystique. “You can see a show in the afternoon, but at the end of the arc of the day it works going to a show in darkness,” he says. “The lights, being indoors… that’s all part of the impact. The lighting just doesn’t work as well at 1 p.m.”

After all, when Curtis is on set, she needs proper lighting to make a scene pop, just like headliners need their strobes and lasers to help amp up that going-out energy. “It’s the arc of the day, the moon… rock n’ roll lives at night. It’s in the DNA of rock n’ roll,” says Shapiro.

In a twist that might make JLC feel Everything Everywhere All At Once, however, that might slowly be changing, according Sound Talent Group agent John Pantle. As artists and their teams increasingly dive into the data behind their audience’s preferences, he says STG has found that some of his clients — and their fans — are into daytime gigs.

“Those shows are easier and cheaper to put together and through the use of metrics and social data, artists are better understanding the psychographics of their fanbases and tailoring performances to where those audiences are,” he says. As an example, he pointed to a recent sold-out show at L.A.’s Echoplex by Japanese metal band Nemophila, at which the headliner promptly started at 8 p.m.

“Younger audiences and teen audiences like that and we do matinee shows as well as headliner shows,” he says. “I have no problem doing an afternoon show because that proves artists are getting smarter about understanding their fanbase,” he says, adding, “it’s not all just working Joes who get off at 7 p.m.”

One of the few upsides of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Pantle, is that there is a greater understanding of the work-from-home atmosphere and how we’ve all gotten a better handle on how we want to spend our time playing. “The days of concerts being solely for an all-night experience and leaving at 1:30 in the morning are over,” he says, noting that by wrapping before 11 or midnight, the bands and their crews can load-out earlier and get on the road at a decent hour.

He’s seen the results by booking a number of earlier gigs for acts such as Japanese rockers Radwimps, virtual pop star Hatsune Miku and singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas. “I know the Hatsune Miku crowd, I know their demos, so not all shows are gonna be starting at 11 p.m. and not all shows are gonna be at 1 p.m. But data reflects audience. And if artist’s actions don’t reflect audience, artists will lose audience.”

That’s all fine and good for shows that might appeal to a younger, less hard-drinking crowd, but what about the midnight marauding EDM audience, who are used to, and expect, the party to go all night long?

Sorry, that’s changing too, according to veteran dance promoter James “Disco” Donnie Estopinal of Disco Donnie Presents. “When I first started doing shows in the ’90s they used to go until 8 a.m. and you can imagine how that looked… it was like The Walking Dead before that show even existed.” Lately, the DDP boss has slowly been moving up the end time of some of his festivals and events to midnight, or even 10 p.m., “depending on what I can get away with.”

Estopinal says so far he hasn’t seen any effect on attendance numbers, and, like Pantle, he also loves getting his team and venue staff home earlier. “Most people know you probably can’t get a venue in the middle of a city that will let you go until 2 a.m.,” he says, noting that there are, of course, exceptions such as Eric Prydz, whose legendarily trippy 3D hologram images just won’t fly at lunchtime.

He also says there is a younger audience of EDM fans who grew up going to Las Vegas daytime pool parties — or as his college-age son has informed him, “dartys” — that are a win-win for artists and crews used to breaking gear down when the sun comes up; the up-charge on drinks at such Vegas events doesn’t hurt the house’s bottom line, either. “I was just in New Orleans for Mardi Gras where we did two shows and I took a nap before both shows so I could make it until 4 a.m. and people made fun of me,” he jokes. “But I told them ‘I’m not gonna make it unless I get that nap.’”

Shapiro is already prepping the next generation of hard-dartyers for their turn with his long-running series called “Rock and Roll Playhouse.” The series has brought the music of Prince, Queen, The Beatles and Taylor Swift to more than two dozen venues around the country for morning and early afternoon shows at 500-1,500-capacity rooms that would otherwise be idle at that time.

“The weekend afternoon shows are a nice augmentation to Saturday night shows and it’s a good intro to cue the next generation into rock n’ roll,” Shapiro says. “But it’s an addition. It can never replace the DNA [of nighttime shows]… people won’t come at 3 and drink a bunch of beers, and that’s the money that powers the venues and the way venues can pay artists more money.”

So, take heart Jamie Lee — you might be getting your darty wish after all.

10 Mar 2023

Suga Is Bringing His Agust D Tour to Japan

When Suga announced his Agust D tour in February, Japan was notably the only country on the trek whose dates were labeled “to be updated.” Now, BTS fans in the island country have a chance to catch the rapper on his global trek, as the BTS official fan club announced on Friday (March 10) how fans in the country can secure tickets.

Suga will perform a series of three dates — June 2-4 — at the Pia Arena MM in Kanagawa. Fans who secure tickets through the BTS Japan official fan club presale advance will pay 15,400 yen including tax ($114.33 USD), while non advance tickets will cost 16,500 yen including tax ($122.50 USD). VIP seats for the Japan dates will cost 26,400 yen ($195.99 USD).

A fan club lottery reception will be held on March 16 at 1 p.m. Japan standard time (11 p.m. ET March 15) through March 23 11:59 p.m. Japan standard time (10 a.m. ET). Tickets are not on a first-come, first-served basis; results of the lottery will be revealed March 31 through April 4. Fans are allowed up to two tickets per member, and applying for the same performance more than once will result in disqualification from the lottery.

See the full list of Suga’s Agust D tour dates, including Japan, below.

  • April 26 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
  • April 27 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
  • April 29 — Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center
  • May 3 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
  • May 5 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
  • May 6 — Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
  • May 10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
  • May 11 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
  • May 14 — Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
  • May 16 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
  • May 17 — Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
  • May 26 — Jakarta, ID @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6
  • May 27 — Jakarta, Indonesia @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6
  • May 28 — Jakarta, Indonesia @ Indonesia Convention Exhibition Hall 5-6
  • June 2-4 — Kanagawa, Japan @ Pia Arena MM
  • June 10 — Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Arena
  • June 11 — Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Arena
  • June 17 — Singapore, SG @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
  • June 18 — Singapore, SG @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
  • June 24– Seoul, KR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium
  • June 25 — Seoul, KR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium

10 Mar 2023

First Stream: New Music From Miley Cyrus, TWICE, Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding and More

Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Miley Cyrus makes summer last forever, TWICE prepares for their biggest year yet, and Calvin Harris re-teams with a pop-star pal. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below:

Miley Cyrus, Endless Summer Vacation

Miley Cyrus’ new album, Endless Summer Vacation, is many things: a self-described love letter to the city of Los Angeles, a full day in two distinct halves (the track list is divided into “AM” and “PM” songs), a fresh start on the new label home of Columbia Records, a commercial comeback thanks to lead single “Flowers” becoming Cyrus’ first Hot 100 chart-topper in nearly a decade. Above all, however, Endless Summer Vacation is an apotheosis. After spending the decade following her Disney Channel rise by trying on different styles of popular music, from hip-hop to country-pop to guitar-rock, Cyrus positions her latest full-length as a culmination of her experiences and strengths, with a variety of sonic approaches folded into the mix. Cyrus, one of the more gifted pop artists of her generation, knows exactly who she is, and Endless Summer Vacation reckons with both where she’s been and where she might be headed next.

Click here for a full review and preliminary track ranking of Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation.

TWICE, Ready To Be 

Although Ready To Be marks TWICE’s 12th mini album, the K-pop stars have been making notable recent strides as both a commercial unit and recording group: as they make the rounds on U.S. television and prepare to embark on a world tour next month, TWICE is expanding the boundaries of their pop aesthetic and delivering some of their strongest hooks to date. Ready To Be highlights like “Set Me Free,” “Blame It On Me” and the previously released hit single “Moonlight Sunrise” will get stuck in your head, but more importantly, they’ll pull you into TWICE’s world by showcasing what they do best as individual members and a cohesive unit.

Calvin Harris & Ellie Goulding, “Miracle” 

After previously conjuring dance magic with “I Need Your Love” in 2012 and “Outside” in 2014, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding have once again teamed up on “Miracle,” a trance track that instinctively plays to the best qualities of both artists. Goulding is able to inject warmth into the heart of the song’s intro before sending her voice skyward on the chorus, and Harris provides the throbbing blueprint — when the drop arrives on “Miracle,” the listener feels overwhelmed with movement, and unable to resist.

Lauren Daigle, “Thank God I Do” 

With her 2018 album Look Up Child, Lauren Daigle became of the biggest breakout stars of the contemporary Christian music scene in recent memory; then, she stepped away, taking multiple years to finish her follow-up. “Thank God I Do” not only previews that self-titled full-length, due out on May 12, but also suggests an evolution of Daigle’s approach: the piano ballad features the signature soar that fans have been waiting to return, but her voice has deepened with time, matching the epic sweep of the strings on the track and readying the masses for a prolonged showcase this spring.

Fever Ray, Radical Romantics

As one-half of The Knife and within their Fever Ray project, Karin Dreijer has made some of the most urgent electronic music of this century — and on Radical Romantics, the follow-up to 2017’s Plunge, they are able to both recall some of their career’s most indelible moments (Siren Shout fans are going to love this project) as well as forge ahead with provocative new questions. Dreijer contemplates legacy, identity and the contours of love, with tempos shifting and then collapsing, and pop exercises giving way to experimentation; Radical Romantics builds upon a towering career with one of the most well-rounded projects in Dreijer’s catalog.

10 Mar 2023

New Music Latin: Listen to Releases From Nicki Nicole, Laura Pausini, & More

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

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Nicki Nicole, “NO voy a llorar :’)” (DALE PLAY Records)

For her first release of 2023, Nicki Nicole presents “NO voy a llorar :’),” a deeply personal and uncanny track about heartbreak and disappointment. The song starts slow, with the 22-year-old Argentine artist belting a heart-wrenching verse over melancholic organ riffs: “I will not cry when you go/ I will not suffer if you leave me/ I’ve convinced myself that your love/ Can’t be for me,” she sings — with a chipmunk-like effect. The track quickly turns into a mid-tempo, pop-urban tune where she performs — now in full-voice and with confidence — lyrics like “Go on with your life/ I won’t think of you.” The music video, directed by Lucas Vignale, shows Nicki Nicole vulnerable in a bathtub crying — or rather un-crying (her tears are shown in reverse, rolling up her cheeks to meet her eyes) — before submerging fully in the water, only to reemerge on the street, ready to face any challenge life throws at her. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS 

Laura Pausini, “Un buen inicio” (Atlantic/Warner Music Italy)

Laura Pausini celebrates 30 years in the music industry with the release of her latest single, “Un buen inicio.” The empowering pop ballad is a testament to the Italian’s resilience, as she talks about leaving behind the memories of the past that used to leave her scars and focusing on the future. As Pausini shares on her social networks: “I do not want to settle in the past, I want to prove to myself and to those who judge me that life has taught me to fight for the things I believe in. And I think this is really a good start.” In the video, we see Pausini rise from the floor as a symbol of revival and determination to overcome any obstacle that comes her way. The chorus expresses: “Rage no longer overcomes me/ And my growth is as big as a forest/ Now I change what I fear for what I feel/ It won’t be much/ But it’s a good start.”  — LUISA CALLE

Los Ángeles Azules feat. Santa Fe Klan & Cazzu, “Tú y Tú” (Universal Music Group)

Los Ángeles Azules’ astute pursuit of the most riveting acts of Latin music to collaborate with is nearly unmatched — just look no further than their last few album releases. Aside from taking their Iztapalapa cumbia to el mundo, the ensemble continues to modernize the traditional regional style by delivering refreshing versatility with nearly each drop.

Enter their first single of 2023, “Tú y Tú,” an accordion- and güiro-driven dance cut that features Guanajuato rapper Santa Fe Klan and Argentine trap star Cazzu. Together, the provocative tatted pair lend their vocals to express the healing power of love. While SFK has already showcased his ability to genre-hop between Mexican-rooted art forms, it’s impressive that Cazzu, who emerged from the booming Argentinian trap scene, seamlessly adapts to cumbia sonidera’s sonorous approach. Buoyed by her charming Argentine accent (“For you I turn night into day, just for you,” she sweetly croons), the Córdoba native delivers a truly mesmerizing take, where she melodiously demonstrates her capabilities to extend beyond the música urbana format with grace and galore. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Cuco & The Marías, “Si Me Voy” (Interscope Records)

“Si Me Voy” instantly hooks you thanks to the ethereal and velvety vocals of María Zardoya (The Marías’ frontwoman), laid over a groovy, nostalgic electric guitar melody. It’s the perfect intro to Cuco and Zardoya’s new collaboration, a dreamy ballad about navigating the solitude and moments of vulnerability that come after a relationship has ended. “If I leave, I want your love to stay with me/ If I leave, I’ll you give you whatever you want because it’s my destiny/ I am, because of you I am,” the pair evocatively sings in harmony over a woozy indie-pop groove. — GRISELDA FLORES

Paula Arenas, “A Ciegas” (Do Re Millions)

With honest lyrics, Colombian singer-songwriter Paula Arenas displays a new ballad, “A Ciegas,” which translates to “blindly.” A deep, powerful track of self-love awareness, it’s also a reminder to put ourselves first and not let be in second place — with tambora chords, Venezuelan cuatro, and a profound lyrical delivery, all produced by Manuel Ramos. “This Chapter ‘BLINDLY’ is an invitation for you to find yourself again, remember who you are, and be loyal to yourself and your love. An invitation to honor your word and honor yourself because it can be started as many times as necessary, as long as you return to your essence, without masks,” Arenas adds in a press release. — INGRID FAJARDO

Adriana Rios, “¿Dónde Están?” (AfinArte Music)

For Women’s History Month, Mexican newcomer Adriana Rios poured her heart out in “¿Dónde Están?” (Where Are They?), a corrido-ranchera fusion that she penned in remembrance of the victims of femicide in Mexico and around the world. Accompanied by a simple yet powerful music video, where she’s belting her strong, crisp vocals in front of newspapers with different suspects on the cover, Rios chants: “Where are you? They’re looking for you in the streets/ Where are you? They’re looking for you in hospitals/ Where are you? They’re looking for you in schools, in bars, and they can’t find you.” On Instagram, the artist explained the reason behind her notable protest song: “Corridos of many things are written but this is a corrido of femicide. Many of you know why I wrote it […] May their names endure.” — JESSICA ROIZ

Below, stream Billboard’s New Music Latin playlist featuring other releases in Latin.

10 Mar 2023

Lady Gaga’s Glamorous New Wax Figure Is Fit for the 2019 Oscars: See the Photos

Lady Gaga is as real an artist, performer and person as they come. The only thing that’s fake about her? Her latest wax figure, which was recently unveiled as the newest addition to the Madame Tussauds Hollywood collection.

Little Monsters wanting to pose with Mother Monster were able to do the next best thing beginning March 8, when Gaga’s figure was first made available for viewing at the museum. Frozen forever in the middle of blowing an air kiss, the “Rain on Me” singer’s wax model is complete with perfectly recreated freckles, tattoos, makeup and hair color.

It’s a replica of Gaga’s glamorous look worn to the Oscars in 2019, where she won best original song for A Star Is Born‘s standout track “Shallow.” She wore an elegant black gown, matching opera gloves and a white and yellow diamond Tiffany necklace worth millions of dollars to the star-studded ceremony.

“Lady Gaga represents so many positive attributes in this world, and to have another wax figure added to Madame Tussauds is incredible,” said Tom Middleton, general manager at Madame Tussauds Hollywood, in a statement. “It made the most sense to have her Hollywood figure be inspired by the night she was nominated for Best Actress and took home the award for Best Original Song for ‘Shallow.‘”

Speaking of Gaga and the Oscars, it was recently revealed that the 13-time Grammy-winner won’t be performing at this year’s ceremony on Sunday (March 12) deespite being nominated again in the best original song category for “Hold My Hand,” her contribution to the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. In a press meeting via Zoom, the show’s executive producer Glenn Weiss explained that she’s been too busy filming a movie — presumably Joker: Folie à Deux, in which she’s starring as Harley Quinn opposite Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker — to pull together an Oscars-worthy showcase.

“We actually invited all five nominees,” Weiss said on the call. “We have great relationships with Lady Gaga and her camp. After a bunch of back and forth, it didn’t feel like she can get a performance to the caliber that we’re used to with her and that she is used to. … So, she is not going to perform on the show.”

See a close-up photo of Lady Gaga’s new wax figure below:

Lady Gaga - Madame Tussauds Hollywood

Courtesy of Madame Tussauds Hollywood

10 Mar 2023

Meta’s Instagram & Facebook Reels Play Bonus Program Is Coming To An End

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Meta Is Ending Its Reels Play Bonus Program On Instagram

Source: NurPhoto / Getty / Meta

If you are a content creator caking off the Reels Play bonus program on Instagram and Facebook, you’re going to have to find another way to bring in coins. Meta is officially getting rid of the program.

If you’re wondering why you haven’t gotten that notification to start pumping out those Instagram Reels, there is a good reason for that. Meta is ending the program, as seen on The Verge, first reported by Business Insider.

According to Business Insider, Meta will not offer any “new or renewed” Reels Play bonus deals, but the company will honor existing commitments.

In a statement to The Verge via an email, Paige Cohen, a Meta spokesperson, said, “We are evolving the test of our Reels Play bonus on Instagram and Facebook as we focus on investing in a suite of monetization solutions to help creators earn steady streams of income. We will look into ways to run the program in a more targeted form, for example, in potential new markets.”

The rollout of the Reels Play bonus program has been far from perfect since its launch in 2021 as a direct response to the TikTok payout program.

Initially, content creators were cashing out, receiving payouts sometimes in the tens of thousands. Over time those payments have gotten smaller, and content creators are having a tough time achieving those large payouts again.

Meta initially had a $2 billion player pool that the company promised to content creators through 2022, so we guess the well has run dry.

You can still make money through subscriptions and badges, but those methods are not as reliable as making reels.

Instagram Is Not The Only Social Media Platform Pinching Pennies

According to The Verge, Snapchat, offering content creators $1 million a day in viral content on its TokTok-like feature Spotlight, gradually cut that amount over 2022, introducing other monetization methods like ad revenue.

YouTube was offering creators cash payouts to pump out YouTube Shorts, but that ended with the video-sharing platform moving to a revenue-sharing model last fall.

Welp.

We shall see if this decision impacts Instagram users’ decision to make reels going forward.

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Photos: NurPhoto / Getty