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The 64th annual Viña del Mar International Song Festival, taking place Feb. 23-28, has announced a panel of nine distinguished judges across music, journalism and entertainment. This eclectic group, renowned in their respective fields, is set to evaluate the international and folk competition entries, determining the winners of the coveted Gaviota de Plata awards.
Leading the panel is Megamedia journalist Rodrigo Sepúlveda, known for his presence on Meganoticias Alerta and the daily radio program Alerta en Romántica. Joining him will be the Grammy-winning duo Bacilos, comprised of Jorge Villamizar from Colombia and André López from Brazil, who are also scheduled to take the stage on Feb. 23. They are known for their hits such as “Pasos De Gigante” and “Caraluna” which charted on Hot Latin Songs at No. 8 and 16, respectively.
Emilia Dides, a singer and Miss Chile 2024 who made significant strides at the Miss Universe pageant last year, brings her musicality to the jury. The jury also includes Catalina Edwards, a journalist, TV and radio host from Megamedia and Radio Infinita. Chilean artist and member of the group 4F (Los Cuatro Fantásticos de la Música) Kidd Voodoo joins as judge and will also take the mic on Friday, Feb. 28. The panel will also feature Chilean actor Jorge López, known for his roles in telenovelas such as Soy Luna and Élite.
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Claudio Narea, an iconic figure in Latin American rock music and a co-founder of the legendary Chilean band Los Prisioneros, brings a wealth of musical history and influence. His deep roots in rock music, and timeless hits such as “Tren Al Sur” and “Estrechez de Corazón” will make him a key judge. Adding a classical touch to the jury is Paolo Bortolameolli, an acclaimed conductor linked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a prominent figure in Chile’s and global classical music scenes.
Finally, Nicolás Oyarzún, an actor from Megamedia known for his roles in Chilean series, will bring the drama and emotive power of acting to the jury.
Superstars including Carlos Vives, Marc Anthony, Duki, Carín León and more will be gracing the stage at the 2025 Viña del Mar Festiva.
Bailey Zimmerman recently earned concern from music fans on social media following a shaky performance on Jan. 18 during this year’s Crash My Playa festival, held in Cancun, Mexico. Videos of Zimmerman’s performance show the singer — normally known for his energetic stage shows — seemingly having trouble reaching notes, wandering around the stage and taking a tumble at one point.
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Now, the “Rock and A Hard Place” hitmaker is taking responsibility for his performance and asking fans for their continued support.
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Zimmerman posted a video to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 21), directly addressing his Crash My Playa performance.
“I was always raised up to hit my problems head-on, and never to lie, and always be truthful and honest, even when you’re embarrassed,” he started his video message. “So, I’d like to talk about something that’s been eatin’ me alive. Last weekend, down in Cancun, Mexico, I’m sure everybody’s seen the videos of me playing absolutely awful, and singing absolutely awful. And, I feel like you guys deserve an explanation from me, because you’ve had my back through the highs and lows, and through every mistake.”
He continued, “What happened was, I decided to drink that day, which was a mistake, and I got up onstage and I was too drunk to play. And I sang awful, I played awful, nobody got the show that they wanted or paid for, and I’m disappointed in myself. If you’ve been to my shows, you know how much I’ve talked about God since day one, and it was an awful representation of that. And to anybody, like I said, that’s embarrassed of me, I’m there. I’m embarrassed as well, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that this never happens ever again. I want to show you guys the person that I truly am.”
He ended by saying, “So, I’m just asking for a little bit of grace. Man, growing up is interesting. It’s not an excuse, but man, thank you to everybody that’s got my back. Thank you for staying, thank you for showing me love, and grace, and we’re gonna crush this year. But yeah, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I freakin’ love you guys more than anything in the world and I don’t wanna lose ya. Forgive me and I love ya. Thank you for listening.”
Zimmerman’s next concert is set for March 1 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He also recently revealed his 2025 summer tour dates on his New to Country Tour, with the shows launching in June.
Luke Bryan’s Crash My Playa event celebrated its ten-year anniversary in 2025, with this year’s Crash My Playa also featuring performances from Bryan as well as Jason Aldean, Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson.
To date, Zimmerman has earned four Billboard Country Airplay chart-toppers, including the six-week No. 1 “Rock and A Hard Place.” He was also nominated for the CMA’s new artist of the year honor during November’s ceremony.
See Zimmerman’s full video below:
This past Oct. 18-19 in Miami, III Points celebrated its 11th anniversary with a lineup that included Jamie xx, Justice, Rezz, Kaytranada, Sara Landry, DJ Koze and many other greats of the electronic genre.
“Each of the departments really locked in, and I feel like we did a really good job as a team,” III Points co-founder David Sinopoli tells Billboard of producing this year’s fest. “It was reflected right back at us with all the bands and the DJ’s in the community coming out and supporting… Everyone was locked in this year, mimicking that focus and energy to their craft.”
One of the many artists showing off their craft at III Points was Canadian producer Jacques Greene, who played a Saturday night set that got right to business, staring with Fonzo’s swaggery 2024 track “Ring Ring” then traversing 90 minutes of techno and experimental electronic music. Hear Greene’s complete set below.
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Sinopoli calls this year of III Points a “special one, because we had all the right people in their respective paths, working with absolute focus and doing an incredible job in their spots – they put on a masterclass with their work. From our sound, tech, lighting, to site operations, site flow, to the music side with [festival staff] Shailee Ben-David, Santi Vidal and Davide Danese’s office helping me put together the lineup. Everyone was really synced up, we have learned over the last few years in this footprint, how to make things flow so that the experience felt a little bit more controlled and comfortable.”
Founded in 2013, the festival puts a strong focus on Miami artists, typically booking more than 50% local acts and bringing in local food vendors and visual artists. This year, as in years past, the two-day fest happened at Miami’s Mana Wynwood event space.
Sinopoli adds that over the festival’s run at the venue, he and the team have “really mastered the site and understood how to lay it out better. Our marketing team helped us fill the space by driving ticket sales and making sure we sold the experience during our sales cycle to the new fan. Laura Kirkpatrick, Leo Piscioneri, Caterina Haddad and the whole team that worked on the marketing killed it. Alexis Sosa-Toro who basically kept it all together for me on every front throughout the year, helped keep all the chaos together with calm and clarity in her leadership.”
III Points partnered with electronic events company Insomniac Events in 2019, with Sinopoli also calling out Insomniac, along with the “OG production team at III Points” for “how well they helped us make this year’s experience so special.”
Will Smith appears to be ramping up his return to music with the announcement of a summer 2025 set at France’s Positiv Festival next summer. The Bad Boys actor will mark his first-ever concert in France on July 31 when he takes the stage at the Roman Theatre of Orange.
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According to an announcement from the festival, the Oscar and Grammy-winning star will play a set of hits, including “Men in Black,” “Miami” and “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” among others. “A unique performance that will bring together more generations of fans of Will Smith’s inimitable energy!,” read the post.
Smith has not released a studio album since 2005, when he dropped his fourth full-length solo LP, Lost and Found, which topped out at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 album chart. After launching his movie career in the early 1990s, Smith has mostly focused on acting, most recently appearing in Bad Boys: Ride or Die. He won an Oscar for his work in the biographical tennis drama King Richard in 2022, collecting the hardware after he stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke referencing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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The actor eventually apologized for the incident and resigned from the Motional Picture Academy — which meant he can no longer vote for the Oscars, but can sill be nominated — followed by the organization announcing that he will be banned from the Oscars for the next decade.
Smith has been teasing a return to music, including recently dropping a new single, “Work of Art,” which features his son, Jaden Smith, as well as rapper Russ. In April, Smith made a surprise cameo during J. Balvin’s Coachella set, followed by the live debut of his gospel-tinged song “You Can Make It” at June’s BET Awards.
Earlier this year, Smith first discussed his upcoming album — tentatively titled Dance in Your Darkest Moments — saying, “Over the past year and a half, I’ve been in the studio. I have a project that is the most personal and powerful music project I’ve ever done. The idea of the music is, ‘Dance in your darkest moments.’” In July, Smith, who released his first three albums on Columbia Records and Lost and Found on Interscope, signed to Slang Music Group, home to Big Sean, Mira Black, Niki Lynette, Savvy & Mandy and Syleena Johnson.
Check out Positiv’s Smith announcement below.
Some of the greatest names in new wave, punk, electronic and alternative rock will come together on June 22 in Milton Keynes, U.K. for the inaugural Forever Now festival.
The one-day even will feature sets from dance minimalists Kraftwerk, as well as “Rebel Yell” singer Billy Idol, punk veterans the Damned, Public Image Ltd and the Jesus & Mary Chain. The bill will also include former Smith guitarist and solo star Johnny Marr, the Psychedelic Furs, The The, the Happy Mondays, Bauhaus singer and solo performer Peter Murphy, Berlin and Theatre of Hate at what a release described as a “cultural phenomenon of the darker underbelly of creativity, from new wave to post-punk, psychedelia and alt-rock.”
The event is a sister act to the U.S.-based Cruel World festival, which will fill the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA on May 17 for a day-long concert featuring New Order, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the Go-Go’s, Devo, OMD, Death Cult, Garbage, Madness, She Wants Revenge, Alison Moyet and more.
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Additional acts slated for the U.K. show include: Chameleons, UKDecay, the Motels and She Wants Revenge. Fans can sign up for a Dec. 5 pre-sale now here; the general onsite will open at 10 a.m. on Dec. 6. In a statement, promoter AEG Presents said, “From the fashionably dark to the fiercely unconventional, all are welcome to revel in a day of unforgettable music and community. This is a festival where nostalgia meets discovery, where new and devoted fans unite, and where forever truly begins now.”
In addition o music on two stages, the U.K. show will feature a third stage, the Echo Chamber, which will be curated by music journalist John Robb and feature interviews, panel discussions and artist conversations.
Check out the announcement below.
EDSea set sail for its second voyage earlier this month, bringing a cruise ship full of ravers to the Electric Sea. The unforgettable Belize-bound experience is Insomniac’s spin on their successful Electric Daisy Carnival festival — which occurs annually in Las Vegas, NV and Miami, FL — but with a tropical twist. This year’s lineup was stacked with some of the most exciting names in dance music, from more established acts like Dillon Francis, Sara Landry and Subtronics to emerging acts including AYYBO, J. Worra and Levity.
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While the lineup of what felt like nonstop sets was exciting, what made the voyage special was the slate of experiences for fans to enjoy. From on-board activities to surprise sets, see what you missed below — and if you want to experience EDSea, tickets are available now for the festival’s third voyage on November 1-6, 2025 from Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize.
Fireworks shine behind the cruise ship at EDSea’s Sail Away Party
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Sail Away Party & FireworksThe grandeur of EDSea began in Miami with the Sail Away Party, featuring Chris Lorenzo on the kineticOCEAN stage. His electrifying set was paired with a massive fireworks show, starting the cruise with a bang (literally).
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Surprise B2B Female DJ SetThe only bond stronger than the one between ravers is the one between women in the scene, as proven by Sara Landry, Mary Droppinz, Jenna Shaw, Coco & Breezy, Lucille Croft, VNSSA and J. Worra. Watching the wide range of sonically diverse women play back-to-back was an empowering glimpse into the future of dance.
EDSea embraced a variety of themes, including Under the Electric Sea
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Theme Days (and Nights!)EDSea attendees made the festival their runway as they served bold and creative looks inspired by the provided themes. From Neon Swim to Safari Sunrise, each themed day and night transformed the ship into a new experience of celebration and self-expression.
Surprise Sunrise in BiminiThe Bimini beach party was a day of sun, sand and celebration — a day that went on even longer than announced, with a surprise announcement that the party would extend until after sunrise. The magic of EDSea shone through as dawn broke with an unexpected set from Eli Brown, making the already unforgettable day even better.
Wreckno, Sara Landry, Coco & Breezy and Lucille Croft onstage during Wreckno’s Catwalk Competition
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On-Board ActivitiesInsomniac made boredom a complete impossibility thanks to a well-curated lineup of experiences from morning through the night. Some fan favorites included the EDSea Character Brunch, where costumed performers mingled with attendees; Wreckno’s Catwalk Competition, a fierce competition of self-expression with special guest judges Sara Landry, Coco & Breezy and Lucille Croft; and Slander’s Super Smash Bros Tournament, a high-energy showdown hosted by the duo themselves.
Having FOMO? Tickets are available now for the festival’s third voyage on November 1-6, 2025 from Miami to Harvest Caye, Belize.
11/18/2024
Read about the most star-studded moments from Camp Flog Gnaw 2024.
11/18/2024
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Vince Staples, from what can be gathered from interviews and podcast appearances, isn’t a man who enjoys the unwavering intensity of the so-called white gaze, creating sonic soundscapes with a certain demographic in mind. During his set at this year’s Camp Flog Gnaw with Tyler, The Creator at the helm, Vince Staples flipped a crowd participation moment into an opportunity to bark on white fans in attendance.
Vince Staples, who enjoyed a solid 2024 on the creative side with the warm embrace of his eponymously named television series on Netflix and his latest studio album Dark Times, was on hand for the annual Camp Flog Gnaw festival in Los Angeles, now in its 10th year.
During his set, Staples, 31, paused his set to ask the crowd a particular question.
“Do y’all really like f*ck with that real n*gga sh*t,” Staples asks the crowd, which was comprised of several white fans who responded favorably to the shoutout but what came next was a classic retort from the talented Long Beach rapper and actor.
“A bunch of white people saying they like real n*gga sh*t”” Staples said. “It’s perplexing.”
Staples also called the crowd “stupid motherf*ckers” before launching into the rest of his set.
Vince Staples was one of the many standout acts at Camp Flog Gnaw with Erykah Badu, Action Bronson, Madlib, Sampha, Doechii, ScHoolboy Q, and more, including appearances from Sexyy Red, SZA, and others. There was also a segment of the festival dedicated to the memory of the late, great MF DOOM.
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The third and last day of the Corona Capital 2024 festival on Sunday (Nov. 17) turned into an old friends reunion, fulfilling the teenage dream of guitarist Jack White who, along with singer-songwriter St. Vincent, was invited by the legendary Paul McCartney to join him on stage in what was the ex-Beatle’s debut at a Latin American music festival and the grand finale of his tour in the region.
In his fourth performance on Mexican stages — and his first time at the famous festival in Mexico City — McCartney achieved the feat of gathering the largest number of attendees the Corona Capital has seen in its 14-year history, according to promoter Ocesa, with nearly 82,000 people.
On the Vans stage, iconic rocker Iggy Pop starred in one of the most anticipated moments, giving a masterclass of what a rock lion does at 77 years old alongside special guests including Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner.
Beck, the “güero” cherished by Mexicans, reaffirmed his connection with the country, where he reunited with dear friends and colleagues at the festival, and practiced his Spanish.
For her part, former Sonic Youth bassist Kim Gordon raised the bar for women and delivered an experimental show that captivated the audience. Jack White, one of the stars on the third day of the festival, also led one of the most anticipated performances and, at the start of his set, performed a cover of Iggy Pop’s classic “I Wanna Be Your Dog.”
In total, Corona Capital 2024 brought together about 225,000 people over its three days, counting 74,000 on Friday, 69,000 on Saturday, and Sunday’s 82,000.
Below are five of our favorite moments from Day 3 of the Corona Capital 2024 festival. (Here are the recaps for Day 1 and Day 2).
McCartney’s masterful closing with St. Vincent and Jack White
Paul McCartney made his Latin American music festival debut an epic moment. On Sunday (Nov. 17), the former Beatle invited St. Vincent and Jack White to join him on the main stage of Corona Capital in Mexico for a masterful performance of “The End” in front of nearly 82,000 attendees, according to concert promoter Ocesa.
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Living legend McCartney captivated generations with his performance at the Mexican music festival, marking the closing of the Latin American leg of his Got Back Tour.
“¡Hola México! ¿Quiúbole, banda? Tonight I’m going to try to speak a little Spanish. It’s awesome to be here again,” McCartney said as he greeted an ecstatic audience using Mexican slang. Parents and children gathered around the main stage, some of them dressed in colorful outfits that emulated the iconic cover of the Beatles’ 1967 album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
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The British icon performed a repertoire that spanned his extensive career, from the classics of the Liverpool quartet to his solo hits. The setlist included songs such as “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Letting Go,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Come On to Me,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Let ‘Em In,” “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da,” “Band On The Run,” and “Let It Be.”
The first guest of the night was St. Vincent, who took the stage to accompany him on guitar on “Get Back.” The artist had had a celebrated performance the day before, and with this number, she closed a masterful pass through Mexico and the Corona Capital.
McCartney appeared happy during his performance at the marathon rock event. On several occasions, he paused briefly to explain some things to the audience. “This is the first song the Beatles ever recorded,” he said in Spanish before singing “Love Me Do.”
The excitement was at its peak when Jack White, who had performed on the Vans stage a couple of hours earlier, took the stage, showcasing his talent and guitar skills. Alongside McCartney and St. Vincent, he created an unforgettable moment and one of the most spectacular closings that Corona Capital has seen in its 14-year history.
The show ran until around 2 a.m. on Monday (Nov. 18), about 40 minutes longer than scheduled. This is something McCartney has done at other festivals when the moment calls for it, just as it happened at the 2009 Coachella festival in Indio, Calif.
With his participation in Corona Capital, McCartney concluded a busy week in Mexico with a series of concerts as part of his Got Back Tour. The tour began on Nov. 8 in the northern city of Monterrey and continued on Nov. 12 and 14 at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City.
The legendary musician began the Latin American leg of his tour on Oct. 1 in Uruguay, then visited Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Costa Rica and Colombia. The tour will continue in December to France, Spain and the United Kingdom.