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Gloria Estefan is about to release her first Spanish album in 18 years, ‘Raíces’. She sits down to talk about how the album was created with her husband, Emilio, dedicating a song to her grandson, her opinions on the new Pope, her thoughts on immigration issues in the U.S., and more. Are you excited for […]
Tiësto tells us all about his collab with Sexyy Red and Kaskade talks about what it’s like to perform at EDC festival 2025. we also run down the highlights from Suenos Festival and Bottle Rock, all presented by Amazon Prime. From the blasting beats of EDM in Vegas to hot Latin sounds in Chicago and […]
Fresh off the back of revealing their first round of performing artists, SXSW Sydney has detailed the first wave of music speakers for its 2025 event.
Taking place in Sydney from October 13-19, the third outing of the Australian event will feature “some of the world’s best thinkers, buyers and culture-makers,” as per a press release.
Leading the charge of their first speaker announcement is Emmy Award-winning Jen Malone, who is best-known as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand music supervisors thanks to her credits such as Euphoria, Wednesday, Mr & Mrs Smith and more.
Malone is joined by Dr. Marcus Collins, who is renowned as an Award-winning marketing professor, cultural translator and best-selling author, having also previously served as the former director of digital strategy for Beyoncé.
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A number of international figures have been confirmed for the first round of speakers, including Senior Director of A&R at All Flowers international label Group, Alex Berenson; Rareform’s Hallie Anderson; tech entrepreneur Andrew Batey; and Brian Hobbs, the Director of Music Festival Programming at SXSW.
Other international names added to the first round include Founder of Hong Kong’s Clockenflap Festival Justin Sweeting (Hong Kong); Apodaca Group and Pal Norte Festival’s Macarena González (Mexico); Meng Ru Kuok CEO of Caldecott Music Group (Singapore); Sally Dunstone, Agent/Partner from Primary Talent (UK); and Lucy Atkinson, Senior Agent at ATC Live (MØ, Erika De Casier) (UK).
A strong contingent of local names are also on the schedule for this year, including John Watson, President of Eleven Music and John Watson Management; music industry consultant Jono Harrison; and host of Airing Your Dirty Laundry podcast, Daphne Berry.
“SXSW Sydney is about big ideas, bold conversations and unexpected connections,” said SXSW Sydney’s Head of Music, Claire Collins. “It’s a chance to hear directly from the people who open doors — the buyers, curators and deal-makers — and to better understand how to cut through, stay independent, or scale globally.
“Whether you’re building a team, exploring how AI can support your creative and business goals, or just looking for inspiration from other creative industries, this is where the conversations start.
“We’re proud to bring this talent to Sydney, and to connect them with the broader SXSW Sydney community,” Collins added. “It’s a week packed with fun, discovery, and opportunities to connect, collaborate, and imagine what’s next for music in our region and around the world.”
The first round of music speakers joins a solid selection of performers which have already been confirmed for the 2025 edition of SXSW Sydney, including Australian acts such as Swapmeet, RICEWINE, and Jamaica Moana, alongside names from Ireland, Thailand, Japan, New Zealand, and the U.K.
Further speakers and performers are expected to be announced in the coming months, with more than 300 international and domestic artist performances set to feature on the final schedule.
Alejandro Sanz is on the cover of Billboard, and the Spanish singer shares how his new song with Shakira, “Bésame,” came to life. Read the full story here. Narrator: How do Alejandro Sanz and Shakira write a song? Alejandro Sanz, the Spanish idol, reunited with his friend Shakira to write “Bésame,” the lead single from […]
Chris Brown was arrested in the U.K. for “inflicting grievous bodily harm” at a nightclub in London in February 2023, and he has since been released on bail for $6.7 million. Keep watching for the full story. What do you think of Chris Brown’s release? Let us know in the comments. Narrator: Chris Brown is […]
As the original Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, Renée Elise Goldsberry got to embrace pop diva fierceness onstage eight times a week — and won a Tony Award in the process.
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The actress, who also won a Grammy when the Hamilton original Broadway cast recording took home best musical theater album, has kept busy since — notably as the hilariously over-the-top girl group alum Wickie on Peacock/Netflix musical comedy series Girls5Eva — but she’s now stepping into the spotlight in a new way: with her independently-released debut album, Who I Really Am, out June 6. It’s mostly written by Goldsberry herself, with the notable exception of “Satisfied,” her personal eleven-o-clock number from Hamilton. “I think the song becomes a lovely bridge from how you know me as a recording artist to the rest of my music as a recording artist,” Goldsberry tells Billboard. What always felt like a “deer in the headlights” moment during the show, she says, became less scary knowing the ensemble was still around her — and placed in the new context of the album, her backup vocalists and band have taken on that role.
Ahead of the reimagined “Satisfied” release today, Goldsberry spoke to Billboard about her evolving relationship to the number that required her to both belt and rap, and the surprising way that tapping into her Girls5Eva character helped her take on this new version.
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Renée Elise Goldsberry in Hamilton.
Courtesy of Hamilton On Broadway
How did learning and performing “Satisfied” as much as you have help you grow as a vocalist and performer overall?
What’s most virtuosic about it is the speed of the rap – but that was always very natural for me. It’s so well-constructed, it makes so much sense. I understood immediately the way [Angelica’s] brain works, how someone that smart and passionate can make a decision that’s that complex in an instant.
What was challenging for me was singing through the emotion that holds so much sacrifice at the end of the song. Signing that live was the thing that was so frightening – Will i be able to make sound at the end of this, when I have to act on the decision I just made? The album single version of this song continues to grow – it doesn’t drop back down into vulnerability, it just keeps driving, and that’s a lovely evolution for me in it.You did so much of the writing yourself on this album; I presume it took a lot of thought to decide what to include that wasn’t by you. Why did this feel important to have in the mix?
In 2020, we were promoting Hamilton on Disney+ — and at the exact same time I was writing this album, and the last thing on my mind would have been to include a song I didn’t write, even the song I’m most famous for singing. So it’s so funny to come full circle and be so proud of having this track on the album. What Hamilton has turned into is something that belongs to everyone, and everyone I think knows it better than me now. So it’s a wonderful thing to feel it separate from the show — and when I finally had the courage to share it with Lin and he also liked it, that was the sign-off I needed. Why was it scary to present it to him? I’m not a huge believer in remaking things that are perfect. Luther Vandross can remake anybody’s song, Whitney Houston did a really good job with “I Will Always Love You” — but unless you’re comin’ like that, I think you should leave well enough alone. [Laughs.] I didn’t do it to improve upon it; I just found a way for it to live outside of a perfect show.
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Satisfied”
Courtesy Photo
How has your relationship to performing it changed over the years? At this point it must feel a little like the hit everyone wants a pop star to perform in concert, even if they occasionally need a break from it….
In the very beginning, I said: “If for the rest of my life when I walk out, somebody plays this song, I’ll be thrilled.” And then what you’re saying is also true; we have an interesting relationship with the things we owe the most to in terms of our career. At some point, we want to prove we can do something else — so there might be a stage where we’re trying to be defined as something different, and then we full circle land on gratitude.
It’s funny that it’s only been ten years — but I’m already full circle grateful. I don’t feel like it’s in any way diminishing, like, “This is your one thing.” It’s such a gift, and also there’s so much challenge in it, so much to discover, it will never feel too small for me. As a big Girls5Eva fan, I have to ask: Do you see any ways in which playing Wickie helped you on this album? Does tapping into her energy help you diva out?
At this very moment, something just became very clear for me: the alter ego of a Sasha Fierce…even in Girls5Eva, Dawn has this Fledge Mulholland alter ego so this mom and wife can feel as powerful as she did onstage. And I just realized Wickie is mine.
There are a lot of things about her I don’t take into my life — but the unapologetic ambition is critical, especially when you’re doing something that no one asked you to do. No one asked me, “Who are you really, Renée?” I just chose to answer it, and Wickie would do that — and she’d do it bravely and with a very unique sense of style! And she’s the Energizer Bunny — she never ever stops trying to move forward, and I need a little bit of that. I have so many more stories to tell.
Donald Trump has taken to social media to accuse Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and more for participating in an “illegal election scam” during Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign. Keep watching the video to see what the president had to say about the celebrities who participated in Kamala’s campaign. What do you think of Donald Trump’s accusations? […]
Bad Bunny has broken records with his ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ tour. The Latin star has sold 2.6 million tickets to his tour across Madrid, Mexico, Australia, Italy and other locations. The tour is set to kick off in the Dominican Republic in November. Narrator: Bad Bunny breaks records in Latin America, Europe, and Australia […]
The All-American Rejects take Billboard’s Tetris Kelly to Lil Dom’s in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood to talk about making new music again after 13 years and what brought them back, going on their first stadium tour with the Jonas Brothers, their craziest tour stories and things thrown on stage. They also get into AI and music, and how they think the rock genre will accept it, the resurgence in popularity of rock music, and music’s ability to distract listeners from the stresses of life. They wrap up the conversation with a little Billboard storytime about their single “Dirty Little Secret.”
Are you excited for The All-American Rejects new music? Let us know in the comments below!
Tetris Kelly:So what brought us here? Why Little Dom’s?
Tyson Ritter:It’s a neighborhood staple for me. I lived in Los Feliz for like, about a decade before I moved away from L.A. The staff here are, like, kind of like, you know, they know, they know my name. I almost got a plaque. I almost got a plaque. They do plaques and boots during COVID — my wife and I would get this sandwich here. That was anyway. I won’t go into details about but they were like, we’re gonna put you a plaque up. And then all of a sudden, like, we went away for like, two years.
You lost your plaque?
I lost the punch card. Like, disappeared.
Well, now you got to start by coming again so you can earn that trust again. Get your plaque.
Let’s get our stripes.
Listen, you brought Billboard here, so you’re doing a good job. And I feel like you said that. You know, Little Dom’s is a place you love for Sunday brunch. So what is your go to menu item on the Sunday brunch menu?
Oh, before I became gluten free, they have this pizza that has, it’s got salmon. Oh, this is, like, it’s kind of blasting this right cheese and cheese and fish, but it’s salmon and capers smoked salmon. Yeah, sorry. So, like, yeah, lox and OK, and capers and onions. And then I, and then I make it even more bizarre, and I have them crack two eggs on top of it. So, yeah, it’s like this sexy brekkie …
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Shakira brought out Rauw Alejandro, Ozuna and more during her two nights at MetLife Stadium in New York City. Keep watching to see everything you missed out, from her famous belly dancing and more. Will you be seeing Shakira on tour? Let us know in the comments! Narrator: We were lucky enough to experience two […]