Billboard Cover
Billboard cover star John Summit takes you through a day in his life in Miami where he shares what he’s working on for his next album, who he would love to collaborate with, performing at the Sphere, how EDM music from the US has gone international and more! John Summit: I remember like I was […]
Billboard cover stars Grupo Frontera take us through a day in their lives, showcasing their favorite hobby, describing what their studio time involves, and explaining what an “asada” entails. They discuss how they initially managed with a limited budget and how they did not expect to suddenly gain rapid traction with “NO SE VA,” a […]
Billboard cover star Koe Wetzel is ready to headline Billboard’s THE STAGE at SXSW. The country singer shares his journey from a small Texas town to hitting the stage in countless cities where he’s able to connect with fans and change their lives. He opens up about how ‘Noise Complaint’ was the turning point in […]
It’s an early evening in late September, and San Francisco is gleaming. The back patio at EMPIRE’s recording studios near the city’s Mission District is all white marble, reflecting the last rays of the setting sun as dozens of YouTube executives mill about, holding mixed drinks and picking at passed trays of beef skewers, falafel, […]
Billboard cover star Kai Cenat has gone from being a Twitch streamer to one of the most influential figures in the music industry. The influencer shares his journey from learning the ropes of hip-hop music to becoming a music industry commentator. He discusses his thoughts on the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, how he manages his relationships with artists, the process of inviting artists over, and his advice for those wanting to start streaming, and more!
Kai Cenat:
I want to go to space, like, I want to be the first streamer in space. I feel like that’d be crazy, like going to the rocket, going up to space, saying, “Yo, chat,” come back down. I feel like that’ll be crazy. When I started streaming, the majority of my content was, like, blowing up based off of me just reacting to different songs and like we had to do different music when they dropped and albums when they dropped, and just enjoyed it for what it was. And then certain clips and certain videos from that stream would go crazy, and then everybody just loved it.
Damien Scott:
You’ve done very well for yourself. Forbes has you as the highest-earning Twitch streamer. You had a hell of a 2024. Became most subscribed streamer on Twitch, Mafiathon 2.
Yep.
Which was incredible to watch a feat of social engineering and just content overall. That, plus a number of other things, has you covering Billboard’s annual Power 100 issue.
That’s crazy.
Did you ever think you would be-
Heck, no. Billboard is insane. I grew up looking at things that like Billboard had posted in the past, and different people that’s been on Billboard already, and it’s definitely insane.
You remember any of the songs back when you were still making skits, you were still in the Bronx? What music were you gravitated to and were you listening to?
No, I was listening to… I did straight Michael Jackson up until high school.
What do you mean straight Michael Jackson?
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Kai Cenat — the eternally upbeat streamer whose profile has exploded in recent years to make him the most popular personality on the Amazon-owned Twitch platform — is taking a moment to think. In the five years or so since he’s become a full-time content creator, Cenat has had some of the most famous hip-hop […]
Billboard cover star & the ‘Future of Latin’ singer Xavi is making his mark. The young singer is sacrificing his youth to put in the work to take over the Latin music, and he shares how he first started getting into music, how he created “La Diabla,” why he’s putting love and passion into his music and more!
Xavi:
Yes, sir. We speaking English today. Hey Phoenix, Arizona, is where we at. Billboard! I grew up listening to Vicente Fernandez, Selena, you know, the typical music where like, that’s what my mom would wake me up to, you know, like she would be cleaning and she would put on Selena, Vicente. You know, I feel like I just grew up with all that music and then going to the U.S., there was a whole different world, you know. And I got to, like, hear Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and a lot of other ones, you know. I was, like, I was a little kid, so I would, like, dress up, yeah, I don’t know. I just really liked his music and like style. Instead of, like, expressing my emotions, I expressed it through music.
Lyndsey Havens:
Do you remember the first time that you actually started writing out lyrics for your own music?
Oh my gosh, it was a long time ago, but yeah, I do remember. I was 12, and I remember I would just like freestyle songs and stuff, and so, like, I got to a point where I was like, Wait, why am I not writing this, you know? So I started writing it, and I didn’t have the best handwriting, you know, but we made it work, and we wrote a little song, but it’s an old, old, old song. I don’t even remember it, but yeah, I was told when I wrote my first song.
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Billboard cover star and the ‘Future of Country’ rep Zach Top is bringing ’90s country music back. The crooner explains why he thinks his “I Never Lie” became successful, the accidental start of a band with his siblings, how he’s developed his style and more! Zach Top: I wanted to be a cowboy really bad. […]
Billboard Cover Star and being named as the ‘Future of Hip-Hop,’ BigXthaPlug, is taking over. The rapper has risen with his Texas flare music, and he shares his journey of becoming a footballer to a rapper, his next move with country music, and more! BigXthaPlug: I feel like, for the first time in a long […]
Billboard cover star and global sensation, JENNIE, takes us behind the scenes of her shoot and into her world. The star shares her favorite place to be in Seoul, when she decided that she wanted to release a solo album and more! JENNIE: Hi, I’m JENNIE. I’m here in Seoul shooting for the cover for […]