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5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (February 18)

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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Baby on the Way

Two weeks after tying the knot, newlyweds Marc Anthony and Nadia Ferreira announce they are having a baby. The couple shared the exciting news on Valentine’s Day, sharing a photo of Ferreira’s baby bump. “Best Valentine’s Gift Ever!!! Thank you, God, for this big blessing in our lives,” they captioned the joint post. This will be the Puerto Rican salsa singer’s 7th child and the Paraguan model’s first. See the sweet photo below.

A Grand Piano in Times Square

What happens when you take a grand piano to Times Square? A little bit of magic. Pianist Arthur Hanlon took his Yamaha grand to New York City’s Times Square on Valentine’s Day for a special edition of the Univision morning show Despierta America and performed romantic classics for the swelling crowd in attendance. The moment became an impromptu sing-along, with the crowd chorusing classics like “Besame Mucho.”

A Celebration of Life

Laura Pausini, the Italian songstress whose biggest hits are Spanish-language tracks such as “En Cambio No,” “Viveme” and “Amores Extraños,” is celebrating her 30-year trajectory with a concert marathon. Called #Laura30, the ambitious event will take place “in 2 continents, in 3 cities, in 5 languages, in 24 hours,” she expressed on Instagram. The first recital will begin at 6 p.m. ET on Feb. 26 at the Apollo Theater in New York, the second in Madrid at The Music Station, and will close at Teatro Cercano in Milan. The event is open to the with free admission, based on prior registration, and subject to availability.

Angela Aguilar: The Businesswoman

Mexican singer Angela Aguilar presented her new line of perfumes this week which includes three scents: Caricia (green bottle), Joy (white bottle), and Mexican in Love (red bottle) — the colors of the bottle represent the Mexican flag. The perfumes will be sold at her virtual store and at her concerts, and a large part of the profits will go to the Gilberto AC Association, which “is made up of Mexican women who help, support and make a big difference in housing, education and in areas affected by natural disasters,” according to a press statement.

Billboard Español’s First Cover of 2023

This week, Billboard Español unveiled its first digital cover of the year featuring Latin power couple Lele Pons and Guaynaa. Published on Valentine’s Day, the Venezuelan influencer-turned-singer and Puerto Rican artist revealed new details about their wedding day, set to take place on March 4 in Miami and also a 10-track collaborative album, tentatively titled Capitulations. Spanning a variety of genres from urban pop (“Abajito”) to reggaetón (“Natural”) to reggae (“A Que No”) and bachata (“Todo Sabe Más Rico”), the couple assures us the set will be very relatable to couples.

Lele Pons, Guaynaa

Senators Urge Committee Investigating TikTok to Impose ‘Strict Structural Restrictions’ in US

Two more senators are calling for restrictions on TikTok’s operations in the U.S., citing alleged risks to national security and consumer privacy presented by the Chinese-owned platform.

In the letter sent Thursday, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) called on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is currently investigating TikTok’s 2017 merger with Musical.ly, “to swiftly conclude its investigation and impose strict structural restrictions” between the platform and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance — including by “potentially separating” the two companies. The letter was addressed to U.S. Treasury Secretary and CFIUS chair Janet Yellen.

In the letter, Blumenthal and Moran cite a December disclosure by ByteDance — reported by The New York Times — that four of its employees obtained the data of several TikTok users, including two journalists, in an effort to locate the sources of suspected leaks to journalists of internal company conversations and documents.

Despite ByteDance’s assertion that it fired the employees involved, Blumenthal and Moran allege that the scheme was in fact perpetrated by a “formal ‘Internal Audit and Risk Control’ team” directed by senior executives, including TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew.

“The incident also occurred while TikTok’s executives had repeatedly promised that Americans’ personal data was secure against such spying,” the letter reads, citing testimony given by TikTok’s vp/head of public policy, Michael Beckerman, to the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection in October 2021.

The letter goes on to claim that TikTok company engineers “continue to have dangerous access to Americans’ personal data and control over its algorithmic recommendation systems, access that continues enable this spying on journalists.”

The senators cite several more reports to bolster their case, including a December article in The Wall Street Journal reporting that TikTok’s product development and management — including oversight of its algorithmic recommendation system — remains based in China. Another article published by Forbes in August, which reported that roughly 300 current employees at TikTok and ByteDance work or have worked for Chinese propaganda outlets including Xinhua News Agency and China Global Television, is also held up as evidence to support restrictions.

Elsewhere, Blumenthal and Moran cite an October investigation by Consumer Reports that found TikTok tracks Americans — including those who don’t use the platform — by embedding “a tracking technology” on partner websites. “While this collection effort is ostensibly an advertising effort by the company, the transmission to TikTok of non-user IP addresses, a unique ID number, and information about what an individual is doing on a site provides a deep understanding of those individuals’ interests, behaviors, and other sensitive matters,” the letter adds.

Despite TikTok’s assurance that it no longer censors videos critical of the Chinese government and other authoritarian regimes, the senators additionally allege that the platform “continues to opaquely demote or remove certain content, including blocking LGBTQ accounts.”

TikTok “is clearly, inextricably dependent on ByteDance for its operations,” the letter concludes, “and therefore beholden to the government of China.”

Thursday’s letter is just the latest in a string of recent condemnations of TikTok by U.S. lawmakers. In December, President Joe Biden signed a bill that prohibits use of the platform by nearly 4 million government employees on devices owned by its agencies, joining at least 27 state governments and several universities that have passed similar measures. The same month, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Flor.), Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) introduced a bill that would effectively ban TikTok and any other China-based social media platform from operating in the United States. And earlier this month, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Col.), pushed Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores over national security concerns, claiming the Chinese Communist Party could “weaponize” the platform against the United States by forcing ByteDance to “surrender Americans’ sensitive data or manipulate the content Americans receive to advance China’s interests.”

These lawmakers clearly weren’t assuaged by TikTok’s announcement in June that it had started routing U.S. user data to Oracle cloud servers located in the U.S., instituted audits of its algorithms and established a new department to solely manage U.S. user data for the platform.

Concerns about TikTok have been prevalent in other corners of the West, most prominently in Europe. In January, Zi Chew met with European Union officials over concerns about child safety and data privacy, among other matters. On Friday, TikTok’s general manager of operations in Europe, Rich Waterworth, attempted to allay some of those concerns in a blog post where he noted that the company plans to establish two additional European data centers, citing a commitment “to keeping our European community and their data safe and secure.” He added that the company is “continuing to deliver against” a data governance strategy they set out for Europe last year, which includes plans to further reduce employee access to European data, minimize data flows outside Europe and store European user data locally.

Zi Chew is slated to appear before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on March 23, when he’s expected to comment on TikTok’s data security and user privacy policies, the app’s impact on children and ties with the Chinese Communist Party.

The Ledger: Are Music Streaming Revenues Still Healthy?

The Ledger is a weekly newsletter that covers the financial and economic side of the music business. An abridged version appears at Billboard Pro. Pro subscribers automatically receive The Ledger. Sign up here to receive the newsletter without a Pro subscription.

Keen observers noticed that last quarter Warner Music Group’s global streaming revenues were down 2.6% year over year, a rare sputter in the music industry’s main engine of growth. The company’s total revenue declined 7.8% as losses in recorded music’s physical and digital revenues couldn’t make up for publishing gains.

On its face, a year-over-year decline in streaming revenue – the driving force behind growth at labels as well as the rise in music catalog valuations – might seem alarming. Declines are routinely seen in download and physical sales. Streaming is typically the dependable bright spot of any earnings report.

The decline was more noticeable when compared to companies that released earnings for the same quarter. Sony Music Entertainment posted strong growth in the same period. SME’s streaming revenue improved 33.2% in its recorded music division and 59.8% in its publishing division. Reservoir Media didn’t show streaming softness last quarter, either. In its recorded music division, digital revenues were up 17% year-over-year. Digital revenues in its publishing division rose 29%.

So, what happened? Some of it is due to a quirk of WMG accounting, some of it is due to WMG, and some of it is due to factors that affect the entire music business.

One factor in WMG’s weak streaming revenue was a shorter quarter: WMG’s last quarter had one fewer week than the prior-year quarter, which gave the company a tough basis for comparison even before other factors could be considered. A 14-week quarter has 7.1% more days to generate income than a 13-week one and that’s a big gap to overcome. Adjusting for that, WMG streaming revenues would have been up 5% year-over-year.

The stronger dollar — WMG’s financial statements are reported in dollars, Sony reports in yen, Universal Music Group in euros — also played a part in the decline. In WMG’s recorded music division, streaming revenues declined 4% as reported but were flat on a constant currency basis (which assumes no change in foreign exchange rates). In its publishing division, streaming revenues grew 13.2% as reported and 16.8% at constant currency.

WMG also blamed the soft streaming numbers on a new release line-up that CFO Eric Levin called “a softer, largely U.S.-based release schedule” that “could roll into our fiscal Q2. But given our release schedule as second half-oriented this year,” he added, “we do feel good about our performance of releases and strength in the second half of the year.”

Another factor was not specific to WMG: a slowing ad market. Levin called it “a dislocated ad market” and warned “the decline is getting more pronounced.” The decline in ad-supported streaming revenue isn’t a surprise. The Ledger wrote about the soft advertising market in August 2022. Spotify CFO Paul Vogel warned advertising growth in the third quarter would be “slower than we might have forecast earlier in the year.” French music company Believe said “ad-funded streaming activities should be affected by rising inflation and economic uncertainties.”

The streaming market has become bifurcated. Subscription services have fared well through the pandemic and high inflation. Advertising is more closely associated with the direction of the broader economy. Consumers are generally reluctant to cancel entertainment subscriptions, but it’s easier for brands to pull back on ad spending, hurting everything from YouTube to broadcast radio companies like iHeartMedia (and music publishers to a lesser extent). At WMG, “subscription streaming grew by high single digits” but was partially offset by a drop “in the mid-teens” in ad-supported revenue, Levin said. WMG also noticed the slowdown in brands’ spending has created “a somewhat softer market for synch.”

In the fourth quarter, Spotify’s advertising revenue rose 14% compared to an 18% improvement for subscription revenue. With the growth of Spotify’s podcasting business, not all the advertising growth could be attributed to music. Advertising growth lagged subscription growth in the third quarter by three percentage points.


All the Ways to Watch ‘American Idol’ on TV & Online

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Season 21 of American Idol premieres this Sunday (Feb. 19). Judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan and host Ryan Seacrest are returning for the new season along with a fresh group of contestants hoping for a shot at music stardom.

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Want to watch the season premiere, or binge some of the older episode? Keep reading for a breakdown of ways to watch and stream American Idol from anywhere.

American Idol Season 21 Schedule: When & How to Watch

What time does the new season of American Idol come on? The show will air Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Because American Idol is on network television, you can potentially watch with an HD antenna, but also through cable, satellite or a streaming subscription that has ABC.

Like other ABC shows, the new season of American Idol will stream live on ABC.com and the ABC app. If you have internet access, you can stream the show from just about anywhere (use ExpressVPN to stream internationally).

How to Watch American Idol on Hulu

Those who miss Sunday’s premiere can stream the episode on Hulu the next day. Not subscribed? Hulu’s most popular plan is $7.99/month after a free 30-day trial (the ad-free plan is $14.99/month).

Hulu $7.99/month after 30-day free trial

Stream network TV shows a day after they premiere on television, in addition to tons of movies and Hulu exclusives such as Only Murders in the Building, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Still Morgan, How I Met Your Father, The Handmaid’s Tale, Welcome to Chippendales and The Kardashians.

Subscribers can add Starz, HBO Max and other channels to Hulu, create up to six profiles under one account and stream from up to two different screens at the same time.

Looking for live television? Hulu + Live TV gets you 85+ channels, Disney+ and ESPN+ for less than $75 a month. Hulu also offers student discounts, annual plans and bundle deals with Disney+ and ESPN.

Other Ways to Watch American Idol

Want more ways to watch American Idol? If you’ve been itching to getting rid of cable but don’t want to end up spending hundreds of dollars a month, Fubo, DirectTV Stream, YouTube TV, Verizon Fios and Vidgo are some of the affordable streaming options for cord cutters.

Chris Olsen Talks Meghan Trainor Pregnancy, Flight Fuel Coffee & More

TikTok superstar Chris Olsen is fresh off the launch of his highly anticipated coffee company, Flight Fuel, and to celebrate, he sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss how his viral coffee delivery videos transitioned into his own brand.

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“I think I just wanted to find something that felt really authentic to me,” Olsen says of his decision to create Flight Fuel. “Coffee has been a part of my content but also a huge part of my life. I just wanted to dive in and start working on something that felt very true and authentic to me. I’m excited for people to feel like they’re part of the series with me.”

As for his advice for how artists can connect with their fans on social media, Olsen says that staying natural is key. “They want to see your authenticity, they want to see you and they just want to connect with you like a friend,” the 25-year-old shares. “When you do have something you want to promote or share, or you want people to lean in and listen, then that’s when you can do that promotional stuff.”

Olsen is also known across the Internet for his adorable friendship with Meghan Trainor, who recently revealed that she’s pregnant with her second child. “It was kind of lowkey,” Olsen recalls of how he found out about his BFF’s pregnancy. “She was like, [whispers] ‘I think I’m pregnant.’ I was like, ‘OK, what do we do with this information?’ It’s one of the things she really wanted this year, so to see that happening, I’m so happy for her and Daryl [Sabara].”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Chris Olsen above.

Kellie Pickler’s Husband Kyle Jacobs Dies at 49

Kyle Jacobs, songwriter/producer and husband to country entertainer Kellie Pickler, has died at age 49, Billboard has confirmed. TMZ first reported the story.

Jacobs was found dead in an apparent suicide in the couple’s Nashville home on Friday afternoon (Feb. 17). According to a statement from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department obtained by Billboard, “Nashville’s Department of Emergency Communications received a 911 call at 1:21 p.m. Friday from a home on Sneed Road in the police department’s West Precinct. Officers and Nashville Fire Department personnel responded and located resident Kyle Jacobs, 49, deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in an upstairs bedroom/office. His death is being investigated as an apparent suicide.

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“Mr. Jacobs’ wife, Kellie Pickler, reported that she awoke a short time earlier, did not see her husband, and began looking for him. After she and her personal assistant were unable to open the door to the upstairs bedroom/office, the assistant telephoned 911.”

Jacobs’ songwriting credits included Garth Brooks’ Hot Country Songs chart-topper “More Than a Memory,” as well as songs recorded by Trace Adkins, Clay Walker and more. Jacobs also produced several Lee Brice hits, including “I Drive Your Truck,” “Hard to Love,” “Rumor” and “Drinking Class.”

On Thursday (Feb. 16), Jacobs had posted on his Instagram page in celebration of Brice’s album My World being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Jacobs posted, “Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together…Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!! @leebrice @curbwordmusicpub @curbrecords #countrymusic”

Jacobs and Pickler wed on Jan. 1, 2011, and previously starred together in the reality show I Love Kellie Pickler.

Pickler competed on American Idol and finished in sixth place. She later earned a top 10 hit on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart with “Best Days of Your Life.”

If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a friend or loved one, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, available 24 hours, at 1-800-273-8255.

First Country: Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Tenille Arts & More

First Country is a compilation of the best new country songs, videos & albums that dropped this week.

Kelsea Ballerini, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat

Ballerini continues in the recent lineage of divorce albums from artists including Adele and Carly Pearce with her most intimate work to date, a six-song set (accompanied by a short film) that unflinchingly details the phases of the dissolution of her marriage to fellow artist Morgan Evans. This raw project chronicles a relationship that slowly dims from its brightly-wedded origins into cloudy voids wrought by physical and emotional distance. “Mountain With a View” feels like a straight-forward response to Evans’ own post-divorce song “Over For You,” while some of the project’s strongest tracks come with no-holds-barred, lyrical gut-punches of “Interlude” and “Blindsided”–songs that shake loose the last visages of keeping up appearances, in favor of wading into the messiness, anger and pain of loss. The project concludes with “Leave Me Again,” with a message of self-worth not so unlike her early hit “Miss Me More.” This time, Ballerini’s music is stripped back to just a vulnerable guitar-vocal, her voice peaceful and hopeful, like the first glimpses of a sunrise after a long, dark night.

Lainey Wilson, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

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CMA Award-winner Wilson makes this contribution to the Rolling Stones tribute album Stoned Cold Country, turning this Stones classic (which peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973) into a track that transforms from barroom weeper into funky, piano-inflected track, spearheaded by Wilson’s own unique vocal flair. Wilson has earned country chart hits with the emotive “Heart Like a Truck” and wisdom-imbuing “Things a Man Oughta Know,” but here, she reminds listeners that she can rock out just as well.

The Pretty Wild, “Bettin’ On Us”

This newcomer sister duo is ready to go all-in on this anthemic, alternative pop-country hybrid about boldly risking everything when you know the reward is worth it. Sisters Jill and Julia wrote the song with Ben Williams and Colin Healey. The sisters’ harmonies are understated, while production from JoJo Centineo injects the song with a rock-tinged energy.

Tenille Arts with Maddie & Tae, “Last Time Last”


Arts teams with duo Maddie & Tae for this song that is steeped in the culture of bittersweet nostalgia, musing that if the last moment of a good thing made itself evident–whether last kickball game as a child, or the last kiss with a lover–one would do all they could to cause those final moments to linger. Maddie & Tae’s vocal pairings with Arts sound fresh and wistful. Arts wrote the song with Alex Kline, Trannie Anderson and Alison Veltz Cruz.

Joy Oladokun, “Changes”

An early release from Oladokun’s upcoming album April 28 album Proof of Life, “Changes” features the singer-songwriter’s vulnerable voice floating above tender acoustics as she reflects on kinetic shifts, both global and personal. “Life’s always been a little dangerous, but I don’t wanna stay the same so/ I’m trying to keep up with the changes,” Oladokun sings, her voice a relaxed balm on a steady beat. The song follows her previous collaboration with Chris Stapleton on the lush ballad “Sweet Symphony.”

Jay Allen, “No Prayer Like Mama’s”

Written by Jay Allen and Justin Morgan, with production from Morgan and Micah Wilshire, this intensely personal song pays tribute to Allen’s late mother, who passed away in 2019 after a diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer’s. Here, Allen excels at constructing sleek pop-country with an impactful message, serving as a worthy platform for his potent vocal.

Maino & Fabolous ft. Stuy Babyz “Best For Me,” Wiz Khalifa “Paris Fashion Week” & More | Daily Visuals 2.17.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

Last year the bromance between Maino, Fabolous and Jim Jones led to some comedic moments on social media and while it’s been a minute since we’ve seen the three crackin’ jokes on each other, Maino and Fab reunite to bring their fans some heat for the street.

Linking up for the visuals to the Stuy Babyz assisted “Best For Me,” Maino and Fab decides to throw a private soiree where they invite a gang of beautiful young women to spend some quality time with them and show them what life could be like if when getting wifed up by some rap stars.

Wiz Khalifa meanwhile heads to the City of Love for his latest clip, “Paris Fashion Week” in which he styles and profiles for the good people of Paree who may not be familiar with his Pittsburgh swagger.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Princess Nokia, Kash Doll, DJ Drama and Sada Baby, and more.

MAINO & FABOLOUS FT. STUY BABYZ – “BEST FOR ME”



WIZ KHALIFA – “PARIS FASHION WEEK”



PRINCESS NOKIA – “CLOSURE”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=mRNIbvI7XoE&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

KASH DOLL, DJ DRAMA & SADA BABY – “ON THE FLO”



BIG SCARR FT. GUCCI MANE – “TRAPPIN N RAPPIN”



STRANDZ FT. DIGGA D – “US AGAINST THE WORLD REMIX”



BIG BOOGIE – “KUSH BREATH”



MEMO600 – “WE DAT”