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New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Laura Pausini & Yami Safdie, “Eso y Más” (Warner Music Italy)
Italian superstar Laura Pausini reimagines Joan Sebastian’s ballad “Eso y Más,” and recruits rising Argentine artist Yami Safdie for her version. Pausini and Safdie inject pathos in their delivery to match Sebastian’s emotionally-charged rendition of this classic, which was featured on his album Más Allá del Sol and peaked at No. 6 on Hot Latin Songs in 2007. Pausini and Safdie’s vocals soar as they sing this Mexican music anthem that captures unconditional love and a deep sense of devotion for a significant other. Pausini expressed admiration for Sebastian at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Week, and said this version of “Eso y Más” will be part of her upcoming album, Yo Canto 2. — GRISELDA FLORES
DannyLux, Leyenda Deluxe (VPS Music / Warner Music Latina)
While DannyLux stays true to his signature sadboy-loverboy sierreño style, Leyenda Deluxe dares to venture into exciting new terrain. The four new tracks build on the fantastical energy of Leyenda (released in May) that blends poetic lyricism with inventive arrangements. “Yo Mismo Soy Culpable” pairs steely acoustic guitars with a flicker of an electric one. “preguntalealaluna” brims with melancholic allure, unfolding as a vulnerable conversation with the moon, while the breezy “¿Qué Sucedió?” reflects the artist’s realization that love isn’t always enough to make someone stay. But it’s the magnetic focus track “Quizás” that steals the spotlight, channeling ’90s alt-pop elements as the SoCal artist trades heartbreak for flirtation. By stitching these new sonic textures into the richly emotional sierreño soundscape, the star further solidifies his place as a boundary-pushing storyteller. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho & Juanes, “Una Noche Contigo” (Fono)
This is a collaboration that we never imagined could happen, and that makes it even more powerful. The soft sounds of the trumpets from the opening bars anticipate a love song in the style of one of the greatest bands in the Sinaloa genre. The voice of Julio Haro from La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho blends perfectly with that of Juanes, who, without abandoning his style, adds the intensity that characterizes a regional Mexican performance. While an unorthodox collaboration, the purpose is clear: to convey a romantic story, albeit from a different perspective. Music has no borders, and this is an example of that. You can have the best of both worlds without forcing anything. — TERE AGUILERA
HUMBE, “Morfina” (PARASIEMPRE.wav Records)
If you discovered HUMBE thanks to “Fantasmas,” a beautiful mariachi song that went viral on social media, you will truly appreciate the Mexican star’s new track, titled “Morfina.” While the former embraces a more roots style that gives it that ranchera sensibility, this new one thrives on a more subtle nu-pop sound but equally effective in lyricism inspired by spirituality, healing and eternity. “Morfina,” that ends with a gorgeous classical arrangement, previews HUMBE’S upcoming new project, due in weeks. — G.F.
Check out more Latin recommendations this week below:
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Warner Music Group announced on Friday that it has promoted Leho Nigul to chief technology officer, effective Dec. 1, as part of a series of executive changes this week.
Nigul, previously senior vice president of engineering, will oversee WMG’s technology strategy, team, and product roadmap, reporting directly to CEO Robert Kyncl. He succeeds Ariel Bardin, who will step aside as president of technology after three years but remain through 2025 to ensure a smooth transition.
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Nigul joined WMG in 2023 and has led engineering teams across key initiatives, including global licensing, royalty management, fan engagement, and AI projects. His background includes senior roles at Instacart and more than 17 years at IBM, where he specialized in eCommerce and SaaS development.
“Leho’s deep knowledge and wide-ranging experience as a leader, engineer, and innovator make him ideally suited to take our team into the future and leverage AI for the benefit of our artists, songwriters and employees,” said WMG CEO Robert Kyncl.
Bardin’s tenure saw significant upgrades to WMG’s tech infrastructure, including new tools for artists and songwriters, streamlined global supply chains, and enhanced data systems. Kyncl praised Bardin for helping to “transform our company systems”and for “setting the foundation to rapidly scale WMG going forward.”
Nigul added that WMG’s approach to innovation creates “powerful, new opportunities for our artists, songwriters and teams.”
The leadership shift on the tech side comes amid a busy week for WMG, which also announced several high-profile appointments: Gregg Nadel was named president of A&R at Warner Records Group; Cris Lacy became chair and president of the rebranded Warner Records Nashville, continuing her role as one of the highest-ranking women in Nashville’s label ecosystem; and Atlantic Music Group tapped A&R veteran Jeremy Vuernick as executive vice president.
Matt Gaetz saw his bid to become Attorney General fizzle after the House Ethics Committee heard testimony from a woman who alleged that they had sex when she was a homeless teen. Matt Gaetz, a former Florida Republican Party congressman, had denied any dealings with the woman.
The New York Times detailed the life and struggles of the 17-year-old woman, who worked in a fast food restaurant and lived in a shelter with a parent. The woman said that she turned to prostitution and was made to have sex with powerful men to save up for braces. The woman said she pretended to be 18 and posted images of herself on a website for men looking to find “companionship.”
The Justice Department investigated Gaetz on child sex trafficking allegations, but nothing ever materialized. President Donald Trump went all in with choosing Gaetz to be his Attorney General. However, the rumors and chatter around the allegations of sex with minors grew to be too much, prompting Gaetz to resign from Congress and withdraw his name from the consideration floated by Trump.
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Last year, the House Ethics Committee report found significant connections that Gaetz allegedly paid women to have sex with him, having sex with a minor, illegal drug use, and for accepting gifts outside the confines of legal boundaries.
Gaetz responded to the Times‘ report regarding the woman, stating that her account is all made up.
“I never had sex with this person. This person threatened me with a lawsuit if I didn’t pay her $2.3 million dollars. She never sued me because her story is fiction,” Gaetz said to the Times.
The developments come as the House Ethics Committee just unleashed several thousand documents connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose connection to the underground sex rings has dogged the Trump administration for the past year.
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Photo: Getty
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Alice in Chains frontman Layne Staley’s posthumous biography, This Angry Pen: The Lost Journals of Layne Staley, is finally here.
The 176-page volume was officially released on Nov. 11 via publisher Weldon Owen and contains Staley’s never-before-seen journals, handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, and artwork, giving fans an up-close and personal look at Staley’s life off stage. You can shop the hardcover version of the posthumous work on Amazon for $37.20 or a Kindle version for $16.99. The book is also available at Barnes & Noble for $37. “I hope this book gives you a glimpse of the son I knew, the one beyond the headlines, the one with a beautiful, creative, happy soul,” Nancy McCallum, Layne’s mother, writes in the foreword to the book.
In one excerpt, we see a poem written by Staley, painting a picture of his complicated relationship with fame. It reads, “Wear the crown of fame, and I still feel like I’m pretending. Wonder when I’ll stop myself from rules I’m still bending.” The scribblings are deeply personal, offering a more intimate perspective, coloring Staley’s life with more depth, giving fans a better understanding of his day to day. Alongside the poems and journals, candid photos capture both the highs and lows of his journey.
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This Angry Pen of Mine: Recovering the Journals of Layne Staley
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A Layne Staley biography.
The book also includes contributions from fellow musicians, including drummer Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, Mad Season), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Robert Trujillo (Metallica) and Sully Erna (Godsmack), among others. If you or a loved one is interested in getting a fuller picture of Staley — who at just 34-years-old — this book is for you. It would make a great gift to snag ahead of the holiday season for that special someone in your life.
Staley began his musical journey in the ‘80s, performing in glam bands in the Seattle area such as Sleze, which changed its name in 1986 to Alice N’ Chains. In 1987, Staley – along with guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr and drummer Sean Kinney – formed a new band and renamed it Alice in Chains. The group would soon become one of the most influential grunge rock outfits of the ‘90s, with their 1995 self-titled album peaking atop the Billboard 200.
Staley became largely reclusive in the latter half of the ‘90s, battling depression and drug addiction during those years. On April 17, 2002, Staley’s body was found in his Seattle apartment, with an autopsy ruling his death as an accidental overdose of cocaine and heroin from two weeks prior.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
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Ready to dive into the drama that is BravoCon 2025?
The Bravo-led convention is back and juicier than ever, spearheaded by none other than Andy Cohen. The convention will be taking place at the Bravo Clubhouse in Las Vegas. Fans will be able to experience a special edition of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, aptly titled BravoCon Live with Andy Cohen. Some of Bravo’s favorite series regulars will be attending the con including Angie Katsanevas from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Ariana Madix of Vanderpump Rules fame, Ashley Darby from The Real Housewives of Potomac and Denise Richards from the film Wild Things and the show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, among others.
BravoCon LIVE will feature special episodes airing from Nov. 14 through the 16th slated to include all the hot gossip, jaw-dropping reveals, and maybe even some beef squashing that fans of Bravo have been craving. The shows will tape across four nights from PH Live at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino.
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BravoCon began back in 2019 in New York and served as a way for fans of Bravo franchises to meet and greet with their favorites. At the time, it was the only convention really celebrating and platforming all things reality TV. If you didn’t snag tickets to the convention, we’re going to show you how you can tune into the fun from the comfort of your couch.
How to Watch BravoCon with DIRECTV.
BravoCon LIVE with Andy Cohen will be available to watch via Bravo which can be accessed on DIRECTV on channel 237.
A subscription to DIRECTV gets you access to live TV, local networks such as NBC, ABC and PBS, and you can also watch many cable networks, including FS1, Lifetime, FX, AMC, A&E, Bravo, BET, MTV, Paramount Network, Cartoon Network, VH1, Fuse, CNN, Food Network, CNBC and many others (Some local channels not available in select markets.). With DIRECTV, you’ll have access to a slew of Bravo titles, giving you the drama fix you’ll need to keep going. This includes Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, Summer House and all The Real Housewives franchises you can think of.
DIRECTV offers a handful of streaming plans for all budgets as well as a trial so you can watch for free for five days. The most affordable option of the bunch is the ENTERTAINMENT package featuring over 90 channels for $49.99/mo. for the first month and $79.99 for months two and three, then $89.99 for months 4-241. This plan includes local channels (where available), ESPN Unlimited, unlimited streams for unlimited screens2 and a special offer on premium networks. Check out directv.com/affiliates/stream for details on the other packages, channel line ups and special offers.
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It’s time, earlier than ever before, for Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to return to the Billboard Hot 100.
As previously reported, the carol jingles back onto the Hot 100 dated Nov. 15 at No. 31.
Notably, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” appears on the Hot 100 for the first time via activity, in part, during Halloween, as the latest list reflects the tracking week beginning Oct. 31.
Still, the metrics for “All I Want for Christmas Is You” have remained fairly steady at the beginning of November in recent years. As counted toward the latest Hot 100, it drew 9.9 million official streams and 942,000 airplay audience impressions and sold 1,000 in the United States Oct. 31-Nov. 6, according to Luminate.
The song’s totals the year before in the corresponding chart week: 10.4 million streams, 1.7 million in airplay audience and 1,000 sold (Nov. 1-7, 2024). The year before that, it scored 10.8 million streams, 1.8 million in airplay audience and 1,000 sold (Nov. 3-9, 2023).
As with Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” hitting a new streaming-era high in the Hot 100’s top 10 concurrent with the reentry of “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” factors beyond the latter’s metrics appear to play into its sleigh ride back to the chart while pumpkins are still on doorsteps before Christmas ornaments have likely been brought down from the attic. In analyzing the chart vault for “Thriller,” Billboard’s Andrew Unterberger cited such factors as generally lower streaming counts year-over-year for current hits and the recent Hot 100 rule change to remove long-charting hits more rapidly, helping to make more room for holiday songs.
“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” originally released in 1994, hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017. In December 2019, it ascended to No. 1 at last. Having led in each holiday season since, Carey’s soloist-record 19th leader has ruled for 18 weeks to date, the third-longest command in the chart’s history. It’s also at the North Pole on Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs recap.
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In October, Billboard gave Louis Tomlinson a new nickname: “King Lou,” inspired by his Beyoncé-reminiscent song title, “Lemonade.” Now, the former One Direction band member is living up to that royal moniker by sharing a track called “Palaces.”
Arriving Friday (Nov. 14), “Palaces” finds Tomlinson bringing the energy on a sweet song about wanting to block out the rest of the world and hide out forever with his love interest. His voice soaring over sunny guitar and pummeling drums, he sings, “I’m lost in the time, I don’t care for the world outside/ You can stay for the night in the palaces of my mind.”
On the day “Palaces” dropped, Tomlinson wrote on social media that it’s been “one of my favourite songs on the record since writing it.”
“Thank you for all the support so far,” he added in his post. “Too excited for next year!”
The star’s new song comes ahead of his upcoming album, How Did I Get Here?, which is set to drop Jan. 23. So far, “Palaces” and “Lemonade” are the only tracks he’s shared of the 12 on the LP, with the latter finding Tomlinson crooning about a lover who’s both “bitter” and “sweet.”
Tomlinson hasn’t released an album since 2022’s Faith in the Future, which debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200. In addition to being his first full-length in three years, How Did I Get Here? will also mark the first album he’s dropped since losing his friend and former bandmate, Liam Payne, who died in 2024 after suffering a fall from the fourth-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina.
“There’s still a level in my head [where it feels] unjust and frustrating that he’s not with us anymore,” Tomlinson recently told Rolling Stone UK of Payne. “Naively, I thought that because at this point, I’m relatively well versed in grief for my age, that it might soften the blow. [That was] super-naive. It’s very different. I’ve never lost a friend before.”
Listen to Tomlinson’s new song, “Palaces,” below.
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Over her 20-plus-year career, Tracy Gardner has seen her fair share of technological disruptions in the music business. “I started right when illegal downloads took over,” she says of her entry into the industry as an intern at what was then Warner Bros. Records (now Warner Records).
As TikTok’s global head of music business development — a position she has held since February — Gardner is now running point for the biggest disruptor of the industry over the last five years. The Brooklyn Law graduate, whom ByteDance recruited in 2019 after six years in the legal affairs and business development departments at Warner Music Group, took over from Ole Obermann — whom she also worked with at WMG — when he departed for Apple Music.
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In her new role as the platform’s chief liaison with the music industry, Gardner oversees deals with labels, publishers and the TikTok commercial music library and works closely with the platform’s strategy, finance, artist services, product and ad sales teams.
Her promotion comes at a fitful moment for TikTok, as ByteDance and the Trump administration are reportedly finalizing a deal that would result in a consortium of U.S. investors acquiring a majority stake in the app. Gardner was not able to comment on that process or how it might affect her division. But in this interview — her first since assuming her current role — she asserts that nearly two years after Universal Music Group temporarily pulled its artists’ music from TikTok over a breakdown in licensing negotiations, and the social media platform shifted label licensing away from Merlin, which licenses digital companies on behalf of over 30,000 indie labels and distributors, “We’re in a great place with the music industry. It’s a dynamic partnership that, as TikTok evolves quickly, has an impact on how we’re looking at deals, how we work with partners and what they want to get from a partnership with us.”
At Warner, you were on the other side of the negotiating table with ByteDance. How did that experience affect how you conduct your job now?
Mainly, it was great to come from the perspective of being at a label and a rights holder. [TikTok] was still relatively new when I got there, and we had to build the infrastructure and collaborate with other teams at ByteDance. A lot of our music team came over from either other DSPs [digital service providers] or labels, so there was a very good base to help the product teams, who don’t have music experience, understand what these rights holders expect from tech partners and what their artists are looking for.
What did you learn from watching Ole Obermann?
Ole and I worked together at Warner. Often people in business development [at music companies] come from one of two paths: f inancial or legal backgrounds. I was fortunate that Ole came from a more numbers- based, financial background, whereas mine was legal. He forced me out of my comfort zone. I wanted to look at the term sheet, and he told me, “You have to focus on the numbers. The numbers don’t lie.” Then we both moved to TikTok, and he [built] a great infrastructure of how the team operates, how we present budgets and how we work with senior management.
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How have you tailored your current role to your perspective and experience?
Ole was overseeing both recorded music and publishing, while I was more in day-to-day operations on the recorded-music side working with artists. So when I took on this new job, I said, “Why don’t we apply the best practices we have for artists to songwriters?” One thing that we’re particularly proud of is the songwriter feature we launched earlier this year [enabling songwriters to tag songs they’ve written in the music tab of their account]. The songwriters are really enjoying being able to step out from behind the curtain and get the acknowledgment that they deserve. We plan to roll that out more broadly.
TikTok increasingly has prioritized e-commerce with the TikTok Shop. How is your team working with artists there?
We are working with the e-commerce teams at the labels as well as our own. One thing we’re seeing is old vinyl sells. Even though people don’t have record players, they view these albums as collectibles. We also see great success when an artist does a livestream. We did one with Lizzo that was quite successful and one with the Jonas Brothers.
TikTok has hosted a number of intimate pop-up events recently for artists’ top fans. Ones with Miley Cyrus and Ed Sheeran come to mind immediately. This is an interesting move to me because you are a social media platform. You want to engage fans online. Why did you want to take people off their phones and get them outside with artists?
Music discovery starts on TikTok — discovery, promotion and fandom grows here, and we view it as a flywheel. After discovering a song, we then help to promote it with some of the campaigns that we do, then we tie that to the “Add to Music App” function so that you can listen on your streaming service. We’re see that what we do moves the needle on streaming, which then leads to charts, which then leads to increased fandom.
We thought that there would be a great opportunity to bring this to real life, to invite the fans that have the greatest engagement with an artist on TikTok to come see the artist in person, even if it does mean going off the platform for a bit. What I thought was beautiful about the Miley event at Chateau Marmont, was that the people there were so impassioned that they started posting so much about it. Even though I wasn’t there, they made me feel like I’d actually experienced it. Right now, we’re finding a way to create joyful intimate moments and creating them in a way that encourages fans to film and to bring them back onto TikTok.
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After a song goes viral on TikTok, it often ends up doing really well on streaming services. For a while, TikTok was building its own streaming service, TikTok Music. Why was it shut down last year?
It was just a decision of priorities. We were trying to grow it for quite some time, and the decision was made: “You know what? Out of all the things we’re doing, this is not succeeding at the level we want. Let’s focus on other areas.” It was an awesome service and it really tied in all the great parts of TikTok, but it was just a decision by management.
TikTok recently let go about 15 people from the U.S. and Latin American music teams, and layoffs are forthcoming in the United Kingdom. Some are interpreting this as a sign that the company is backing away from its partnerships with the music business.
As so many other big companies have recently done — Amazon announced a big round of layoffs, for instance — organizational changes are due to changes in structural needs. Companies can grow very quickly and then must reassess what’s best for them. There is definitely no change in the priority around artist services and artist relations. For us, it’s business as usual.
How are you reassuring the music industry that you remain committed to the partnerships and plans you already made?
We’re telling them it’s business as usual, and our valued industry partners remain the highest priority. We just want to focus more on the core priorities for artists and songwriters to help drive the value on the platform.
How is TikTok ensuring artists have safeguards against artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes?
We ask that users tag anything that’s AI-created. Aside from that, I don’t think the industry has a quick solution right now to identify those and take them down. If someone notifies us, our trust and safety team will take them down if needed. But it is a very interesting time right now.
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AI-generated songs have appeared on the TikTok and Billboard charts. Are you pursuing any policies that would bar AI music on your platform and charts?
It’s uncharted territory. Even with U.S. Copyright Office guidance that works must have sufficient human contribution to be protected, what does that mean? There’s such a wide span from a song being totally created by AI to one that’s created by a human with just one or two AI contributions. How do we decide when it’s such a gray zone? So I don’t think we’ve made a decision on that yet, and I don’t think a lot of the DSPs have either.
If AI-generated music starts performing well on TikTok, could it diminish the leverage rights holders have in negotiations with you?
I don’t think it would have any impact. We’re all aware that AI music is out there, and some exceptions have risen on the charts, but it would not at all impact the value that we see in our partners and how our deals with them are structured.
What are some best practices for artists seeking to gain an audience on TikTok?
The beauty of it is that any song has a chance to go viral. It just depends on how the billions of people on the platform react to the song. Oftentimes, I’m asked, “Do you have to be really leaned in?” It depends. A great example is Connie Francis. Her song “Pretty Little Baby” blew up this year. She wasn’t on the platform at the time. Eventually she did get on, which was great, but this music resonated [on its own].
Trending on Billboard Before the 59th annual CMA Awards take place Nov. 19, ABC will pay tribute to some of country music’s leading names with Center Stage: Countdown to the CMA Awards — Special Edition of 20/20, which will air Nov. 18 evening. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Hosted by former CMA Awards […]
Apple / Digital ID
Apple is always looking for ways to make life easier through your iPhone, of course. The company’s latest idea, Digital IDs, isn’t going over as well as Apple hoped.
Apple has officially rolled out a Digital IDs feature that will allow users to create and add an ID to their Apple Wallet using their US passport.
The tech giant says the Digital ID acceptance will “roll out first” at TSA checkpoints for domestic travel in over 250 airports.
Apple says Digital ID can serve as an alternative for travelers who have yet to upgrade to a Real ID, and you can present it at TSA checkpoints using your iPhone or Apple Watch.
However, you’ll still need to hold on to your passport for international travel, as a Digital ID cannot be used for traveling abroad or for border crossings.
Apple Has Already Pushed The Idea of Putting Your ID on Your Smartphone
The Digital ID isn’t the first time Apple has toyed around with the IDs. Apple is already allowing users in 12 states, including Puerto Rico, to store their driver’s licenses/IDs, but Digital ID gives those outside those states an alternative to Real ID.
Social Media Is Skeptical
The announcement of the Digital ID isn’t going over well with everyone, sparking major privacy concerns, especially among those who already feel “big brother” is watching them through their phones.
“Well, Apple just rolled out “Digital ID.” The surrender of privacy is about to hit warp speed. This is step one of your digital leash, gift-wrapped as convenience. Once it’s “normalized,” it’s irreversible. Then it’s “optional.” Until it’s not,” one post on X, formerly Twitter, read.
Others are stressing that this is even more reason for you not to hand over your smartphones to law enforcement.
Well, it’s entirely up to you whether you want to participate in this feature. We can recall a time when it was frowned upon to put your credit cards in your phone, but now tap-to-pay is one of the most widely used features on smartphones and smartwatches.
It’s entirely plausible that Digital IDs will become popular over time.
Until then, you can see more reactions below.
