Interview
Boldy James had one of the best years of his career in 2025.
The rapper out of Detroit dropped three albums this year with three different producers — a format that’s starting to become his signature. At the top of the year, he released Penalty of Leadership with Montréal-based producer Nicholas Craven, then in June, he dropped Across the Tracks with fellow Griselda affiliate Conductor Williams, and earlier this month he and Harry Fraud finally linked up for The Bricktionary.
This particular project has been years in the making, as the two have ran in the same circles for a while now, becoming familiar with each other through Boldy’s cousin Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids and meeting each other in person down in Austin for SXSW with the help of Action Bronson and a block of hotel rooms provided to him by Reebok. Their chemistry in the studio mirrors their chemistry in person. Harry arrived late to our interview at the Billboard New York offices in Midtown because of the traffic, of course, but one thing I noticed was how Boldy lit up when he walked into the conference room where we had been talking for about 30 minutes.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
We talked with the duo about finally working together, independence and just life in general. Check out our conversation below.
Trending on Billboard
So, how did this project came together?
Boldy James: I met Harry Fraud right after I met The Alchemist; it might’ve been on the same day, or same night type sh—t at SXSW. We had been talked about working, and I kind of lost focus on track from the music for a minute, so we revisited the idea of me and him finishing a full length project. We completed it two years ago and worked out all the particulars out. Now the world gets a chance to hear it.
Harry: That was my first time there. I’m there with Action Bronson and had a bunch of hotel rooms. He told everybody to roll with him, because Reebok had given him a bunch of hotel rooms. So, that must’ve been when we met. Obviously, back then, I was a different guy, using different things… Over time, I’d send Bo a song to jump on, but I always had in the back of my mind that to work on a project with him.
You guys have had this in the stash for two years?
Boldy: I sit on a lot of music. Y’all don’t usually hear my music no sooner than a year or two after I make it. The most recent, current to date, like music that I make up into the point where y’all get a chance to hear it is maybe The Alchemist projects and the Nic Craven projects. Everything else usually take a minute to come out, because we got a hash out the layout, the business arrangements and agreements, you know, terms and conditions.
Harry Fraud: The project in general was such a long time in the making. Boldy’s cousin, Chuck Inglish, was the first person to show me music on the Internet. Me and French [Montana] were in the city, and we were selling mixtapes hand to hand. And at that time, a guy that I was sharing a studio with was Chuck’s roommate in Chicago.
Chuck came to the city one time to our studio, and I’m working with French, we’re just doing what we’re doing. And Chuck’s on the computer, and I’m like, “What you doin’?” And he’s like, “Yo, this is Nah Right.” And I’m like, “What the f—k is that?” So, he’s like, “This is a blog.” I’m like, “What the f—k are you talking about?” And he’s like, “Yo, this is where people post your music on the Internet. This is how you get your music out.” And he hands me an email address and says I should send them a song. So, I sent them “New York Minute” and the rest is history.
The whole time Chuck is around us and he’s telling us that his cousin is the best rapper you ever heard. I’m like, “The f—k is this guy talkin’ about?” You know what I mean? Deadass. This guy is talking crazy. Then he starts showing us a song here and there and the guy sounds crazy. And he like, “This my cousin, Boldy.” This is all the way back then. That’s the inception of me even wanting to work with Boldy.
Boldy mentioned you guys worked on this together in person.
Boldy: We did them on the spot right then and there. That was how me and Al work. We sit in the studio, Al cook up the beats, I sit there scribble my rap while he whipping up. Same thing I did with H. Harry played the beats. He sitting there with me, I’m smoking, writing, maybe eat something, talk a little sh—t, and I look up, like, “Aye, H, I’m ready. You ready?” He pulls the beat up, and it’s showtime. We basically did each record like that.
Harry: Yeah, we worked on every song in person. We were staying in my house in the Hamptons together, and then we did some work at my studio in Brooklyn.
Boldy: I was telling him we didn’t do any email records.
Which is rare these days.
Harry: When you really get to know Bo, you realize that’s actually the only way to optimize him, in terms of us creating something that was cohesive — it was necessary for us to be together. It’s important for me with the guys that I really care about as humans and artists to be in the room with them. You know my guys that I really create that s–t with, Bo, Benny [the Butcher], Dave [East], French, we’re in the room. The only one, I would say, not — because he lives so far away and doesn’t travel all that much — is Spitta, but even with him our first stuff is together, and we kind of solidified the sound, so we can do it via email.
Word, you guys have built up a chemistry.
Boldy: Man, this my real brother. The unique thing about this album is that I was perfectly fine in the beginning of it — like the first 80 percent — but then the last 20 percent, I broke my neck, back and f—king leg in the accident. I could barely walk when I came back to finish the rest of it.
Harry: I’m honestly grateful that the album spanned those life experiences for him, because I know it’s cathartic for him to be able to express himself during all those different chapters. I know that allows him to get out whatever is inside him. Just even watching my boy go through that, it’s like, I can’t fix his neck, his back, but I can lend this to him to make him feel better, so he can work out whatever’s in his head. I love hanging out with him.
Boldy: I’m always pullin’ up.
Harry: Like, even yesterday we’re in the studio, I didn’t even think, “Oh, we’re gonna make music. I’m gonna pull up beats.” I just haven’t seen my guy in a while, so I just wanted to chill.
Boldy: I was dead two hours before I got to y’all. I was pullin’ up on my brother. I ain’t even tell them to cut a beat on nothin’. I got there and fell asleep.
Harry: [Laughs.] I feel like a lot of people don’t put enough value in that nowadays. You gotta create real chemistry to have musical chemistry. Talk about life, talk about what’s going on. We’re sitting there and he’s putting me on to a new guy in Detroit that’s on YouTube yesterday, and we’re laughing our asses off. You gotta create that thread. I feel like we’re able to do that effortlessly because of all that lineage I described before. It’s easy for us to work. We were never in the studio scratching our heads.
Boldy: Just having him there helps because with his history, his track record, I’m moreso looking at him for that look — like, “Yeah, we got one” — after I’m done with a song.
Harry: And he’ll tell you. When he would do a verse and I’m sitting there anticipating it — because there’s always a line or a metaphor, something I key in on — and I’m like, “Ahhh,” because I’m such a fan of him. It turns me up, it makes me want to work harder, it make me wanna refine it. And through the process of finishing the album, I put so much pressure on myself — because I feel like he did his job, so it was my turn to match what he was doing. It’s important for me to step up to the plate, even with the mixing and stuff.
Boldy: When he sent it to the first dude, and dude did what he did to it — when they sent it back, I was telling him, like, “It’s cool — but for some reason, I like it the way it sounded when we recorded it. So, just mix it like that.”
Harry: Sometimes, man, you gotta have somebody that you trust to shake you out of your comfort zone, your process, to make you step back and realize, like, “Nah, they got a point.”
Boldy: You forgot about that pulse that be on your beats.
Harry: Exactly.
Boldy: A lot of times, if it’s called for it, you can strip the beat and just have oil on vinegar. But with this type of project — I was telling him — I d–n near felt like we could’ve just put it out like that without three rounds of mixes.
Harry: He’s right. When I went back and listened, we had captured the essence, and we had lost a little bit of that by making it too shiny, too polished.
Boldy: The reason why the beats feel like this is because everything that’s going on with it is what it is that we feeling. When you get to stripping it and trying to bring this back out? Nah, leave that s—t just like that.
Do you use a certain program? A certain beat machine?
Harry: We used an MPC 2500, we used an MPC 2000 on some beats, we did some beats in Pro Tools. And at the end of the day, we put everything into Pro Tools to record his vocals and do the arrangements and stuff like that. The actual creation of the beats ranged from an MPC to an iPad to whatever. One thing I realized about myself is — maybe I got ADHD or something — but it’s easier for me to switch things up because that gives me a new perspective, a new way to approach the beat, a new way to create.
I know you guys said you recorded this together — but in terms of the sound, did you have a pack of beats in mind already, or were you making the beats as you went along?
Harry: When I know I’m working with somebody, I go through all the recent things that I’ve made — they might not be finished beats — and then the ones that I know or I feel will have the opportunity to fit that artist, I’ll go refine the beat, and then when they pull up, I’ll have a playlist. It might be 10 to 20, and then I’ll sit down with with the artist and key in on what they like.
Once I see what they’re keying in on for the project, that allows me to then go deeper and put more beats in that zone. That’s the linchpin for me, I’m off to the races. He’ll tell you — the first couple beats might have been more geared to what he had been doing with, say, Al [The Alchemist], because I’m such a fan and I’ve been listening to them.
Boldy x Harry
Watch The Screen
That would influence you a bit subconsciously.
Harry: Exactly, but then once I saw him keying into certain beats, I knew where he was going. It don’t even have to be spoken.
And Boldy’s style comes across so effortless.
Harry: Well, you know, it’s funny, because there’s been a lot of great MCs through time that are able to pull off a delivery that some would say is, quote, unquote monotone, but take it into these different pockets — like, say, a Guru from Gang Starr. That’s a perfect example of that back then, but he’s a new realization of what it is to give you that delivery where he’s not doing circus tricks with his voice.
It’s the ability to do that in such away that now you’re locking in on what he’s saying. And then when, like you said, on the third or fourth or fifth listen you’re catching s–t where you’re like, “Whoa, I didn’t even hear that the first three times.” That’s what the greats do.
Some of the songs reminded me of ’80s police procedurals like Miami Vice, but then you mentioned the cokewave s—t, you could kind of hear that style.
Harry: Yeah, that’s it, bro. If you go listen to Bo’s earlier s—t too, you know what I mean? That thread is in there too. It had a very like street gritty feel to it, and it was like bringing those two things together to create the vibe that we have now. It’s like all those sounds, but refined a little bit. When I was really approaching this is I wanted to hear him with a lot of bass in the track.
Boldy: There we go.
Harry: And I feel like the low end of this album, is unlike anything that Boldy has done, where, like, it’s a very full, round low end. When you put it in the car, that sh—t is gonna slam. It’s a motion picture. It’s The Bricktionary, it’s the manual. There’s not a lot of artists left that can tell you a story without it being a, quote unquote, story rap.
He raps like you’re sitting passenger side with him, rolling through the hood.
Boldy: That’s all that s—t is [Laughs.] We in the car all day, bro. Our kids have to literally drag us out the car and in the house. Give me a hug, sit down and have a bite to eat with me or something. We always ripping and running. I can’t sit still.
So, what’s the soundtrack for you when you’re on the road ripping and running?
Boldy: I’m a silly guy. I listen to RxKNephew being silly. I listen to a lot of drill music. I listen to Lil Durk more than probably anything. I was burnt off the Pop Smoke. I might listen to a little Nav. I listen to a lot of Lil Baby. I listen to a lot of Future. I listen to a lot of s—t that I don’t rap nothing like.
Future has a had a great year. What is it about his music that grabs your attention?
Boldy: Future is one of the most talented artists from our generation. I don’t even know how he come up with the s—t he come up. The same questions somebody asks me are the same questions I would ask an artist like Future and Jay-Z. Like, what the f—k was you thinking when you said that crazy ass s—t?
When you met Jay, you didn’t get a chance to ask him anything like that?
Boldy: He’s not a guy I would ask a lot of questions. I would more sit back and soak the game up. What the f—k can I tell him, other than something that he probably was already inquiring about, and I probably can’t really put him up on game. I can just give him some reassurance or something he probably was already thinking, or sorting out in his head anyway. That’s the OG. You don’t ever talk a n—a like that to death.
Harry: I swear I wanted to get him on the song we got Benny on, but when I reached out, my contact said he wasn’t recording. You gotta catch him when he’s in rapper mode.
You said that you ride around and raps pop up in your head as you take in your environment.
Boldy: I ride around in a million dollar Rolls Royce with the top down. It’s easy to write the raps like that. I’m coming through my ghetto with the top down, just reflecting on how I used to be walking around that b—ch with pop bottles. I used be around this b—ch selling crack rocks, robbing, stealing cars, all types of hot-boy-ass s—t. God spared me. I got a family now, I’m rich, I got a career. It’s like my goods are finally outweighing my bads.
Is it surreal sometimes when you think about that?
Boldy: I just always been driven. You get what you put into the s—t. I put a lot into this s—t, so I knew I was gonna get something out of it eventually.
Harry: He’s a perfect example of that, because no matter what Boldy is doing in life, he’s always working. He was in L.A. last week, then he goes to Detroit, then he drove to my spot in the Hamptons. I don’t take that lightly that he gets in a car for 12 hours to come do this. That’s not lost on me. It’s not just at his convenience, it’s an inconvenience, actually. And that’s when you see if motherf—kers are really about it; when they have to inconvenience themselves to do something.
You two have known each other for a minute, so why is this the only project you’ve put out?
Harry: Because we never pressed it. It’s all natural. Everything comes when it’s supposed to come, happens when it’s supposed to happen, and that’s the best genesis of something like this.
It’s organic.
Harry: Yeah, and one thing I’ve realized through working with him is that I’m a tool for him. He’s not fitting into my atmosphere. I’m coming into his and I have to figure out how to exist within that atmosphere without creating friction, tension, drag, if you will, on a plane flying, like letting him fly through his atmosphere in his perfect harmony. A lot of things with Bo I’ve had to not allow myself to get bent out of shape with his process or this or that. This goes for me too.
My process is, “Cool, come out to my house that’s three hours outside of the city so we can f—king lock the f—k in. We don’t got anything else to do but rap, smoke weed, watch TV, whatever we’re doing, eat, boom, boom, boom.” Our supreme focus is on the music. I think it’s really important for producers to become producers again. If producers want to achieve longevity, they gotta to figure out how to continue to update their process and tailor it to the artist that you’re working with.
What do you use to write? A notepad, your phone? What’s your process like.
Boldy: Here’s my process. I ride around, I think of pretty much what I want to say, right? And then sis will say something to me, or we might be on the freeway, I look up see a billboard, or a street sign, and then, when Isee the right place, person or thing, it might write my whole rap for me just off the course of my day. I can’t explain it. It’s like my brain just get to unlock and then I take it to my phone. But I’m just trying to take note of all the s—t that I really thinking in my head and now I’m trying to catch lightning in the bottle. Then, when I know I got it, I go to the studio and drop it.
You guys remember that golden era, but also grew up with the Internet and watched the industry shift as you were coming up.
Harry: Those walls are tearing down. They don’t exist in the same way anymore. In terms of the scalability of the business. We control all our sh—t. The rappers back then had boundaries and ceilings put on them by corporate entities.
Boldy: And they wasn’t as privy to the Internet where they make a mockery of people that’s getting finessed in their deals. Seeing that on the Internet makes you want to have more business sense when you approach these deals and these companies.
Harry: Yeah, because we’ve seen the horror stories.
Boldy: This the scary part: 20 people getting paid before you, but you paying them out of your pocket, but they count your money before you do, and pay you out of your own hard work and labor. When you see a whole bunch of trial and error of that it makes you want to reevaluate your situation, or it makes you go into a situation being more informed.
Harry: You can’t trick us with $100,000. No disrespect to anybody from any era, but you can’t trick us. You can’t shake $100,000 in front of us and make us sign over our life. We touch that in our sleep by putting the music out by ourselves.
Boldy: Don’t do that, H.
Harry: I’m sorry. It just hurts my feelings. It insults me. I can’t remember the last project I took up front money for. I don’t want it. I’m comfortable waiting for mine. I love delayed gratification.
Boldy: I have the patience of a sniper.
Harry: 100 percent, because I know what’s on the other side. If you’re giving me this up front, you’re not doing that out of the kindness of your heart. You’re doing that because you know on the backend, you’re gonna make like three times more. It’s like a sleight of hand from a magician. To get the card out of your ear, I got to get your eyes over here, and then I’m reaching over here.
I peeped it so clear from the inside that I told myself, I’ll never go for that again. My first deal was a stupid deal, but I was so hungry. You give me 180 grand for whatever, I’m like, “S—t.” Yeah, that was a bad deal, but I learned the best lesson. Now we’re so fortified, man, we control our destiny in so many ways.
And you want to stay as independent as possible now.
Harry: I’ll never go back to that life. I’ll never change this tune. I only want ownership. The story of what I do in business hasn’t really been told on the front line yet because I’m really in my artist bag right now. But 10 years from now, people are going to look at what I’ve been doing for the past decade plus, and understand what I’m really doing in business and how much s—t I really have my fingers in that no one knows about musically, they’ll realize that I figured this s—t out and then I’ll quietly set up the next chapter. This is what all of this has been a catalyst for.
The mainstream is definitely paying attention, they’re absorbing it all, getting inspired, maybe biting a little bit.
Harry: The sauce that these independent guys are bringing? They’re all absorbing it. The production, the style of dress, to the way they’re rapping, everything.
A lot of times the mainstream stuff on streaming services are 20-30, songs long and it sounds like they weren’t in the studio with the producers sometimes. Some of those albums don’t feel cohesive, they sound like they just threw something together.
Harry: Totally, and I started to realize that I was happy to be a mercenary for people for a long time. You hire me to come kill, I kill and leave. You know, but it might be one song, it might be two songs. It might on your project, right? I’m happy to do that, but like I’m confident in my ability to do that. But what I realized is that I’m more satisfied artistically and as a human being with building these worlds with people like you said, when you listen to it, it sounds like a movie. That makes me feel more satisfied.
You were going for that anyway. You came up really working closely with French, and most of Boldy’s projects are with one producer.
Boldy: You can miss big both ways. He can leave an element out of the project that maybe you would get working with multiple producers. But, you know, it also could be super cohesive with everything you want out the project, because there’s one producer producing, especially when you’re working with the pros. They know that there’s an X amount of taste palettes that want this and that and this and this on the album. So they try to satisfy all those appetites.
Harry: He’s very nonchalant about it, but when you really step back and think about the people that gravitate towards his nucleus, there’s got to be something special there. We all gravitate to his talent, and that’s what inspires the producer to be great. And if you look at the guys that are around Boldy, I mean, it’s like, insane. It’s the real snipers, it’s the real ones. The guys that really do this on a higher level.
Looking at that from afar, you realize there’s got to be something really special about this guy. It’s a je ne sais quoi; you can’t out your finger on it necessarily. We can point out all the kind of nerd s—t aspects of the rapping, but at the end of the day, it’s passed all that. It’s a special thing to work with artists like Bo.
Boldy: I appreciate that, champ.
He’s been on a run — this is your third project this year.
Boldy: I got a lot of music. A day in the life with the mafia will write your whole album, so that’s my problem. I’m privy to something that a lot of people gotta pay to experience. Most people got to pay to go to the hood and hang. They be getting extorted and pressed by n—as in the neighborhood for them to even be able to come around. With me, we are the neighborhood. If you really like trying to get inspired or you can’t think of another way to be creative, musically, come hang out with us. It’ll open your eyes and broaden your horizons, so you’ll be able to scribble some s—t that another person will have to read a book to know something about this type of s—t. That’s my advantage, but it’s a curse too, you know?
Harry: He’s insanely prolific. And if you notice, for me, I always gravitate towards artists that are very prolific, because I like to make a lot of music. I have to make music whether I was successful with it or not. It’s my therapy, it’s my way I work out what’s going on inside my mind. It’s everything for me. If I’m not doing projects with people, you might only get to hear 10 Harry Fraud beats a year. That’s not enough for me, I need more. I need to get it out of me.
What’s the strategy for next year? How you plan on attacking 2025?
Boldy: I want to drop an album with my sister Double D. I want me and Double to do a crazy ass full length. Just me and her and whoever she want on the album, because she got a better ear for knowing artists outside of hip-hop, outside of street rapping, all this drill rap s—t, she listens to a little bit of everything.
Harry: I have a lot. Me and Benny are probably about three quarters away done with The Plugs I Met 3. Me and Spitta got a new album coming.
Y’all gotta put that tape out already.
Boldy: Me and Butch? I can’t rap better than Butch. I’ma do the album with Benny and get Conway to write my raps [Laughs.] Those my real guys, bro. I love West, I love ‘way, I love Benny, man. It’s love forever with them, guys. I don’t never see us having no bad blood or falling out, having no strain on the relationship, I mean, but H will tell you, we pretty much got a good judge of character. Our circle, overall, is a lot of the same players involved. But like he said, it’s really like a brotherhood there. It’s not a falsified relationship, just for, the purposes of music and making money off each other. Them n—as got money. H ain’t got to work with me.
Harry: This is the new class of the independent guys that are touching real paper, and that makes us respect each other so much more, because it’s like, yes, we’re all good at music, but we’re also really good at business.
Boldy: We are the star childs of our families. We’re wiz kids and these fake thugs and s—t out here in the streets, they don’t give enough credit to the guys that are smart. They try to make being smart nerdy, and nerdy not cool. I embrace the nerd in me. You feel me. That’s what make my world spin. That’s what you will pay my bills.
What are you a nerd about?
Boldy: A lot of things. I’m an evil genius on a lot of things. That’s nerdy in a sense.
What’s good with that Dilla tape? You had said that the record is done, paperwork is done, you were just waiting for the right time.
Boldy: Shout out RJ Rice, and Young RJ — Slum Village, Detroit s—t. Big RJ and me prayed over the album, and when it’s time, I know he gonna put it out because I’ve been catching a lot of steam. I think he just waited until I got back hot to put it out for real because he didn’t want it to fall on deaf ears. It’s a good project.
From being a virtually unknown mariachi singer, Deyra Barrera has gone on to headline international news as the surprise Spanish voice that opens Kendrick Lamar‘s GNX album. “Siento aquí tu presencia/ La noche de anoche/ Y nos ponemos a llorar,” she sings soulfully at the beginning of “Wacced Out Murals,” reappearing again in the middle of the song.
And her sweet, penetrating voice resonates in two more tracks: “Reincarnated,” a tribute to the late Tupac Shakur, and the closing song “Gloria,” with SZA. The LP has been No. 1 on the Top Rap Albums, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and all-genre Billboard 200 charts for last three weeks.
“I didn’t expect it because I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Barrera tells Billboard Español about her appearance on the album after what had already been reported: in late October, she was invited to sing at the Dodger Stadium in tribute to her late friend, the Mexican baseball player Fernando Valenzuela. Lamar — “or his team,” she’s not sure — heard her, and a few days later they contacted her.
Trending on Billboard
Everything happened very quickly, and the interest in the artist has grown in ways previously unimaginable for her, but Deyra Barrera is not a rookie. Originally from Villa Juárez, Sonora, Mexico, the singer — who arrived in Los Angeles at the age of 17 and has spent more than half her life in the U.S. — has been trying to make her way in music for decades on both sides of the border.
“I was first in [the singing competition] La Academia in Mexico City in 2010. And then I was in La Reina de la Canción on Univision,” she shares. “I also returned to La Voz México in Mexico City in 2021, during the pandemic. It was tough. As I tell you, I’ve been knocking on doors for many years.”
“It’s a very difficult career but well, this is what I love to do. Since I live here, I live off music,” she adds, detailing that she has been in various regional Mexican female bands, including Las Adelitas and Mariachi Divas. More than 10 years ago she formed the quartet Corazón de México, which was reduced to the current Trío Corazón, made up with her sister Verónica and Cynthia Reifler Flores. “We work a lot at parties,” Barrera says.
Now that she’s the talk of the town — far beyond Mexican or Latin music — she reflects that what she is experiencing at this moment is owed to her great friend Valenzuela.
“I was always joking with him and telling him, ‘Oh, take me to sing at Dodgers,’ and finally he took me when they retired his number in August 2023,” she explains. “Thanks to that, they called me after [he died] to sing at the tribute along with my friend Julián Torres, who is another ranchera music singer whom I admire very much and who is the one who always sings at the stadium.”
Barrera confessed to Billboard Español that up until now she didn’t follow rap music, and spoke about her newfound appreciation for Lamar and his work, her gratitude for the cultural bridges he has built by inviting her to be part of his project, and her own future plans and prospects.
To start, what did you feel when you hit play and the first thing you heard was your voice on Kendrick Lamar‘s album?
I got goosebumps. It was a surprise for me. I didn’t expect it, because I didn’t know what was going to happen. Then I got a call from Rolling Stone magazine, and that’s how I found out.
And you’re not on just one song, you’re on three! What DID you know when you recorded your parts?
I’m not allowed to talk much about it. The only thing, and what everyone already knows, is that I was at a baseball game where they invited me to sing in a tribute to Fernando Valenzuela. He [Lamar] was there, or his team. Then they contacted me. I went and recorded without thinking it was going to be something so big. I didn’t imagine it.
Did you get to meet Kendrick in the studio?
Yes, he came quickly and left. But it was something magical, like a dream.
Have you spoken to him since his album came out?
No.
Have you thought about the possibility that he might take you on his next tour with him?
Well, I have all my prayers. I have it well visualized in my mind; whatever comes next for me, then let it be. I have many years in this music career looking for opportunities, throwing in the towel, picking it up again. So God’s timing is perfect. A moment in my life that I never expected — always wanting to collaborate with artists of my own genre, I never imagined that I would collaborate with the No. 1 American rapper in the world. I mean, rap music! And that it would take me to something so big.
Did you listened to rap music or followed Kendrick Lamar’s career before?
No, I honestly don’t listen to much rap music. Obviously, I knew who he was, he has many hits. And yes, I like the music… but I am 100% Mexican. I’m always listening to mariachi music, regional Mexican music.
Have you heard more of Kendrick’s discography as a result of this collaboration?
Yes, of course. I have looked at everything he has done and wow, he is so great. Everything he does — I understand why, on this new album, he put his genius mark, like putting my voice on three of the songs as an introduction.
Why do you think he did it?
He loves giving those surprises, from what I’ve read. But more than anything to unite cultures, and that is what I appreciate the most. I’m super happy that he loves our music and wants to unite our cultures, our music with his.
Did he tell you anything about Mexican music?
No, I didn’t talk [about that] with him. It was just “Hello, thank you, goodbye.” That was all. But I thank him for that, for uniting us. I never imagined that I would now have so many fans of rap music. I mean, the little bit that I sang, they tell me so many beautiful things, they flatter me. They say, “What a beautiful voice.” It’s wonderful that we have united our cultures.
It’s exciting to see a female regional Mexican music singer being highlighted in this way, as they are a minority in a genre traditionally dominated by men.
Yes, believe me, I have also been so emotional and also in carrying the name of so many women, raising the Mexican flag in representation of so many women of our mariachi music. There is so much talent, so many beautiful voices, and I feel blessed to have been the one chosen to be here at this moment.
What did your Trio Corazón bandmates say when they found out about this?
They couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t say anything until it came out. And wow, they are super proud. Now I have to work hard to make the most of this moment and let people know who Deyra Barrera is.
What doors has this experience opened for you? Have any record labels contacted you?
We’re working on that, yes. But imagine, it’s the Anglo-Saxon people, the American people, everyone is talking! Sometimes I listen to myself in the car and I hear [on the radio] that they are still talking about this. Then I see reaction videos of people who listen to pure rap music and they’re like, “What? What is this?” And yes, I feel that many doors have been opened and that’s why I want to keep working, fighting for my dreams. What life is giving me now, what I always asked God for, he sent it to me like this.
What are you hoping for in 2025?
¿Qué esperas para el 2025? ¿En qué estás trabajando?
I want to record.
Do you write your own music?
Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened for me. Although the parts I sang for Kendrick, I wrote them. I’m already enrolled to record songs. Why not!
If you had Kendrick Lamar in front of you today, what would you say to him?
Thank you. Thank you for respecting our music. For listening. For inviting me to this new album. And may God bless him and may we unite more. Music is universal. Music can unite so much in everything, it can unite cultures.
For Alessia Cara, emotion and connection is at the heart of her creative endeavors — hence why each of her three studio albums live in a unique world full of signature concepts, colors and themes built around them. Her music isn’t just a listening experience, it’s a feeling.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Her upcoming Feb. 14-slated project, Love & Hyperbole, continues that process, as she splashes her music videos and promotional content with deep berry and maroon tones, amplifying the passion that love entails. “Love is very red to me,” Cara tells Billboard. “Every time you see love portrayed anywhere, it’s usually red, like Valentine’s Day colors. Even before I knew that the album was going to come out on Valentine’s Day, it just always felt a little bit deeper, a little bit richer. The textures and the songs felt a little richer and more sophisticated, so that wine color just always came into my mind, even before I knew what the concept was going to be. It feels warm and it feels like love.”
That’s why it was a perfect fit when she teamed up with Lenovo, Intel and Universal Music Group for Brands for their “Made By” campaign, which intersects music, creativity and technology — something Cara has been a pro at throughout her career. “Each song has such a story to it that’s so specific and getting the chance to showcase each song in a way that non-singles don’t really get to be showcased, it’s really awesome to be able to do that,” she says of the partnership.
Trending on Billboard
The team-up will lend to a series of visually stunning pieces surrounding Love & Hyperbole, including an album trailer with custom graphic designs and key scenes, as well as an accompanying miniseries that documents the journey behind the development of the trailer, capturing how Lenovo and Intel supported and inspired Cara’s vision. They’ll also emphasizes the integral roles of Maris Jones and Gaia Esther Maria in shaping the project’s artistic direction. The Grammy winner adds with a laugh, “It’s a little bit indulgent for the artist in me. This was an incredible opportunity, and everyone has been so amazing creatively, and so collaborative while giving us the freedom to explore and play. We had a great time.”
Exploring seems to be a key theme in Cara’s career, as her music earnestly captures the complexities of growing into adulthood and how romantic relationships stir up all kinds of emotions. Her self-discovery both as a songwriter and human being is showcased in the Love & Hyperbole single, “Isn’t It Obvious,” a breezy hug of reassurance for a love interest who is scared to lose her. “Fears are only constellations/ Only glowin’ if we make them, we’re just fine/ If it’s any consolation, you’re my favorite/ It’s you and I, you gotta know that, right?” she sings on the track, bolstered by a guitar solo from one of Cara’s personal heroes, John Mayer (“I still can’t believe that happened,” she says.)
“Obviously, my perspective of love has transformed and changed and grown throughout my life,” She says of “Isn’t It Obvious,” in comparison to some of her previous fan-favorite tracks like “Comfortable” and “I’m Yours.” “Being a young woman, I think sometimes when you’re experiencing love for the first time and you’re a little bit more inexperienced — I can give a lot of myself and almost treat love as something that makes me feel smaller, rather than something that expands me, and thinking that that was the right way to do it. I always used to think if it was really intense, and if it took energy out of me, that it was the right thing.”
She continues, “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that love is supposed to feel like something that calms the storm rather than creates it. It should just kind of feel easy. That’s why I think a lot of these songs, even though some of them are laced with elements of fear or worry, they’re always very steadfast in themselves and there’s a sense of reassurance there. I did not have that when I was growing up and finding out what I wanted in early stages of love for me.”
Keeping in the album’s theme of love, Cara is eager to spread it to fans. As part of her partnership with Lenovo and Intel, she’ll be hosting an exclusive album event for fans in early 2025, which will feature a live performance as well as interactive projection mapping and other immersive elements.
She concludes of the message she hopes Love & Hyperbole gives to listeners, “I just hope that if they’re going through something or if they’re in a similar stage in their life, that they can understand that at the end of the day, we’re all a product of everything that has happened to us, good and bad. We actually need those bad things in order to find the good. We need to know what we don’t want in order to find what we do want. We need loss in order to really feel love. Those things can work in tandem with one another instead of clash. That’s the main thesis, but I hope they just take anything from it.”
Pre-save Love & Hyperbole here.
Mexican music is undergoing a revolution, and at the epicenter of this new wave of talent is Luis Ernesto Vega Carvajal, better known as Netón Vega. At just 21 years old, the young musician has achieved global success as a co-writer for tracks such as “La People” by Peso Pluma and Tito Double P, “Rubicon” by Peso, and “Si No Quieres No” by Luis R. Conríquez.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The latter song, on which he also sings, is one of five that he currently has on the Hot Latin Songs chart as both composer and performer, including “La Patrulla” with Peso Pluma, “Linda” and “Chino” with Tito Double P, and “Presidente” by Gabito Ballesteros, Natanael Cano, and Conríquez.
“The fact that my songs reached Hassan (Peso Pluma) allowed them to reach all these artists, with whom I now share a great friendship,” explains Vega, who is ready to write his own story now as a singer, in an interview with Billboard Español.
Trending on Billboard
On Friday (Dec. 20), he will release “Loco,” the first single from his debut album, slated for January 24, 2025.
“Now it’s my turn to perform my own songs. I have prepared 18 and I am very excited for everyone to hear all that I can offer because I don’t just do corridos tumbados; I really like rap and even romantic songs,” explains the singer-songwriter, who has more than 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify thanks to his collaborations.
When asked if at this stage he will have the support of those to whom he has given key songs in his career, the answer is blunt: “There is a union with the artists of Mexican music today as never before, we support each other unconditionally, it is a brotherhood. So they will be with me in my first album Peso Pluma, Luis R. Conríquez, Tito Double P, Víctor Mendívil, Oscar Maydón and Alemán, who is from the same place where I was born”.
Vega was born in La Paz, Baja California Sur, but moved to Culiacán, Sinaloa, at a young age. He learned to rap on the streets and later began to write.
“I didn’t write corridos tumbados. I composed romantic songs, reggaetón, everything. I wrote traditional corridos; people from the United States requested them a lot. That’s how I started making money,” he shares, adding that he also grew up listening to music from groups like Intocable and Juan Gabriel. “Then I mixed everything I knew and created my own style,” he continues. “As for the lyrics, I make sure they are not too aggressive.”
Amid so many emerging artists, the competition becomes stronger every day, and this is something he is very aware of. “However, I believe that we can continue our careers if we work and keep doing new things all the time,” he says. “At least that’s what I am willing to do.”
With the release of his debut album, he will also have the opportunity to perform in front of an audience for the first time with three concerts scheduled in Mexico early next year: February 27 at the Escenario GNP Seguros in Monterrey, March 1 at the Pepsi Center in Mexican City, and March 9 at the Auditorio Telmex in Guadalajara.
“This is a very important challenge. I understand that having millions of listeners is not the same as having people come to see me and pay for a ticket,” concludes Vega, undoubtedly an artist to keep an eye on in 2025.
For over two decades, Tamela Mann has been one of the most recognizable and impactful artists in contemporary gospel music. While the genre’s mainstream presence has waned in recent years, Mann’s moving, door-busting voice has helped tracks like “Take Me to the King,” “I Can Only Imagine” and “God Provides” become formidable crossover hits. Perhaps best known for “King,” which spent 25 weeks atop Gospel Airplay, Mann’s other accolades include an American Music Award, a BET Award and a Grammy for best gospel performance/song (2017, “God Provides”).
Earlier this year, “Working for Me,” the lead single from her new Live Breathe Fight album (Oct. 11), helped Mann break a tie with longtime collaborator and friend Kirk Franklin for most chart-toppers on Gospel Airplay. With 11 leaders dating back to 2012’s “King” and Billboard’s decade-end No. 1 Top Gospel Album of the 2010s (2012’s Best Days) to her name, Tamela Mann is a musical force – as well as a theatrical one.
Trending on Billboard
Next year will also mark 25 years since she originated the beloved character of Cora Simmons in a different kind of MCU: Tyler Perry’s Madea Cinematic Universe. From stage plays and sitcoms to box office-topping films like 2023’s The Color Purple, Tamela Mann’s medium-agnostic talent has allowed her to expertly navigate both the sanctified and secular worlds with her signature grace and passion.
Back with her sixth solo studio album ahead of a highly anticipated tour, Tamela Mann caught up with Billboard for an emotional conversation about the making of her new album, her working relationships with Franklin and Perry, and her 30-year faith journey in the entertainment industry.
1. Why did you decide to experiment with country music on “Working for Me?”
“Working for Me” was actually my second country song! Me and David [Mann Sr.] had a song called “Mason Jar” on our [2018] Us Against the World album. I was nervous about doing that one, even though I already have the Southern drawl! When my producer [Phillip] Bryant brought the song to me — with this young lady named Tia Sharee, another writer on the project — immediately, I was like, “Yes.” What really caught me [was] the chorus, “I can’t see it/ But I still believe.”
I’m more of a lyric-driven person, so when I heard that I was like, “Yes… but maybe I’m not gonna sing with as much twang as the demo.” We dived right into writing and finishing out that first version of the song. I was afraid to release it at first because people really try to put me in a box of just doing ballads. I stepped out on faith and trusted my heart that this was what the Lord was leading us to.
I think “Working for Me” is very encouraging to both Christians and non-believers. Even when we can’t see Him, we still believe that he’s working on our behalf. I was so shocked at the response to the song and how much radio loved it. I think it surprised people – especially when they hear that banjo! It’s country, but we still go to the foot-stomping gospel at the end and really take it to church. That’s what I love most about it; it gives me something for the people to sing along with me.
2. “Working for Me” became your record-breaking 11th No. 1 single on Gospel Airplay, helping you break a tie with longtime friend and collaborator Kirk Franklin. What does it mean to you that you two are still performing at such a high level after all these years?
It is amazing to me. Words can’t even express… and I told myself I’m not going to cry! [Laughs.] We met as teenagers and we’re still great friends to this day working in the same vein that we started in and still giving God glory for what he’s done. I’m just happy that [my generation of gospel artists is] still out here spreading the good news. It makes me feel good that we are right there, neck and neck.
With friends, it’s not like you’re competing. We never talk about it, we’re really proud of each other. I thank God for the friendship and the covering that we have for each other. I’m grateful that we’re still doing it together and I say let’s keep going up and up!
3. What advice do you have for younger artists who are aiming for that kind of career longevity?
I prayed for longevity in the industry — especially after looking at our forerunners who’ve paved the way for us: Shirley Caesar, James Cleveland, Walter Hawkins, The Clark Sisters. I asked the Lord to give me longevity like that and to keep my voice intact. Seeing Shirley still jumping around at 80-something and seeing Dr. Bobby Jones still doing the work is a blessing.
I want to encourage our young people to remember what our message is and to live life. You’re not going to be perfect. You’re going to make mistakes. Things are not going to turn out the way that you want them to turn out all the time, but you just keep loving the Lord. One thing my mom told me that I’ll share with them is to love the Lord with all your heart, and the Lord will take you far.
4. Talk to me about how “Big Facts” came together.
Jevon Hill out of Jacksonville, Fla., brought me the track. Throughout the last year, the Lord had been giving me little nuggets to plug into the songs. In the last year and a half of our lives, there’s been a lot of chaos from the business to family life. But every time I get ready to do a project, that’s how the enemy attacks and tries to distract me – and I refuse to be defeated. I was talking to some of the writers, and I was like, “Y’all, we have to really look at ourselves and figure out what it is that we’re doing.”
A lot of times, we look at everybody else to make changes when we’re the ones who need to change. “Big Facts” came from self-examination instead of pointing the finger at anybody else. Another young man named Stanley came in and he said, “Don’t just say ‘Face the facts,’ say ‘Big facts!’” I was actually gonna make it longer, but it makes me hit repeat the way it is. It makes me drive fast – so y’all be careful out there!
5. How did you land on this album title?
We’re living like heaven is our destiny, we breathe in every breath with purpose, and we’re fighting till we get the victory. The title of the album is encouragement: When I told people about it, they were like, “Wow, we need that.” I want us to really face the facts of ourselves. Let’s grow together. Let’s do better with our world, just loving more and judging less. It’s a spiritual thing that I’m doing — from the inside out, I’m building myself and trying to make myself better in everything that I’m doing and trying to accomplish.
6. When did work begin on this album?
Well, it was time — because it had been three years since my last project! I had planned a time to start recording, but then filming jumped in there, so I called my producers in and tried to get the whole project done as quickly as possible. We had one room with people laying tracks and singing BGVs [background vocals], in another room, they were doing actual tracks for the music, and in another room, we were writing. I stepped in more than I ever had on any other project.
I’ve been a part of every piece of this album, so it was different for me. We started in March and we pulled together 17 songs in three weeks. We created a book. We created a journey. I feel like this is my best body of work so far, and I pray to God that we continue to go higher because I feel like people should see growth from when I started in 2004 until now.
7. What do you think it was about this particular project that spurred you to get so involved?
What I was dealing with in life — as y’all young people say, “Life was life-ing!” [Laughs.] Life was really pushing me… I wasn’t mad, but a lot of disappointment hit me. I did a lot of crying and talking about it in the music, but at the end of it, I really felt victorious. I didn’t allow [those feelings] to distract me or cause me to quit. I didn’t say, “I can’t do this right now,” I used the disappointment as strength. I refused to let it consume me.
8. Which three songs would you say are most representative of the album?
“Working for Me,” “Hand on Me” and “Deserve to Win.” I think they’re all great messages regardless of what you’re dealing with. No man can take whatever God has for you. And after all you’ve been through, you deserve to win. You deserve to be happy. You deserve to be on top. A lot of times, we talk ourselves out of a lot of happiness or victories because we’re concerned with what others might think. I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with being sure of yourself and allowing people to see the glory of God living in you and flowing out of you.
9. Was it always your plan to make a completely solo album?
That was more of a fluke of timing. I really wanted to bring in some other people but time just didn’t permit. I plan on going back in and bringing those people in, which I think will be massive. I want them to be a surprise!
10. Earlier this year you tied Kirk and Travis Greene as BMI’s gospel songwriter of the year. What does your typical songwriting process look like?
It changed for me in terms of actually writing down little nuggets and ideas in my phone. First, I always begin with a prayer, “Lord, what do we need to give the people?” We’re not out here song-chasing. This time, the Lord didn’t give me any rhythms, it was moreso lyrics, so I talked about what those lyrics meant to me and that’s where the writers took off from.
11. What song was the most difficult for you to write or record?
“Carry On” was a little challenging in terms of actually recording it. It took me a couple of tries to catch the rhythm. My producers are all in their 30s, and doing new things with cadence. [Laughs.] I was like, “My tongue is heavy, it don’t move that fast!” I had to work at it, but I took it as a challenge. They stretched me to do something new. I kept telling them don’t try to take me too far into R&B because that crowd already has R&B – they want to hear what we have to say and what our message is in gospel.
12. What’s your favorite song you’ve ever written in your entire career?
Right now, “Hand on Me,” because it brought back childhood memories. I started singing at 8 and now I’m 58, to see how the hand of God has been on me my whole life – even before the career got here – and how the Lord was connecting me with the right people… it’s almost overwhelming. When I sing “Hand on Me,” it not only makes me want to cry, but it also makes me grateful and thankful that even when I failed or didn’t make the right decision, the Lord kept his hand on my life.
13. What gospel song has been most impactful on your life?
My first song that I ever sang – and I’ve been using it as a part of my testimony on “Hand on Me” — was “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired.” It was my first solo at eight years old, and I didn’t understand what I was singing about then, but now I know that the Lord didn’t bring me this far to leave me. I’m so glad that he is still with me and covering me as we continue this journey. I’ve just been praying, “Lord, give me more time. Give us more time to get it right.” Not just for me, but for everyone in general. I’ve seen a lot of my friends get out of here, and not necessarily old people. I will give “No Ways Tired” my stamp because it was my beginning and it’s still with me to this day.
14. Next year marks the 30-year anniversary of the landmark Kirk Franklin and The Family Christmas album. How do you even begin to assess the impact of that album so many years later, especially “Now Behold the Lamb?”
You never know which songs are going to take off and what they’re going to do. Even “Take Me to the King,” Kirk and I didn’t know. But for me to sing “Now Behold the Lamb” all these years later and people still love it? I’m just so grateful to God for the people loving on us and walking this journey with us. It’s a “wow factor” moment for me. I’m thankful that people think about the Lamb of God like that.
15. What are your thoughts on the current contemporary gospel scene and how can we preserve the integrity of gospel music as CCM continues to grow?
The scripture says that His Word won’t return void. Some may fall away, but the scripture also says that there will be a great falling away in the last days, which we see in our churches. It’s like pulling teeth trying to get everybody to come together. “I’m watching online!” But, honestly, are you really watching online?
All I can say is that I’m going to keep holding up the blood-stained banner. Souls are still going to be saved, and people are still going to be reached. The blood of Jesus reaches the highest mountains and the lowest valleys. Some of us [in gospel music] are going to keep fighting. We’re going to keep loving the Lord. We’re going to keep singing for him and singing about how His blood still works.
16. Talk to me about your relationship with Tyler Perry and the projects you two have on the way.
Oh my God, I’m so thankful for Tyler Perry seeing something in me that I didn’t see myself. And I’m so thankful to my husband for coaching and directing me. It wouldn’t be Cora if it wasn’t for them pushing me because I was fighting them! I was like a little cat! Our journey has been almost 30 years, so it has really been a blessing that I didn’t see happening. It’s incredible how the Lord is helping us keep the characters alive with Assisted Living. We got a new movie that’s coming out next year called Madea’s Destination Wedding. It’s going to be hilarious. It’s funny to me though, because when people see us outside, they’re like, “Hey, Mr. Brown! Hey, Tamela Mann!” I can have my name, but he’s Mr. Brown! [Laughs.]
17. We’re also coming up on one year of The Color Purple movie musical. How do you look back on that experience?
That experience was amazing because it was the first time that I had done dancing and singing at the same time. David has coached me so much that even when I’m shooting a music video, I’m signing with the track to really get those feelings. But the Lord put the right people around me because they were able to push and encourage me to dance like, “You got it, Mama!”
Ms. Oprah Winfrey came out of hiding — we were coming out of COVID when we were filming — like, “You know, I came to see you. I came out for you. I don’t know if I should be out here.” I said, “You gonna be fine. The Lord gonna watch over you and cover you.” It was a great experience, especially working with Fantasia and Taraji [P. Henson] and all of the other talented actors.
18. What advice do you have for young gospel artists who are looking to navigate both sanctified and secular spaces at the same time as you have done for so much of your career?
We just go in and try to set the tone. As David would say, we’re the thermostat. We set the temperature and go in with peace and light. It has been a blessing to be able to go into all these different walks of life, but I know who I’m representing. I remember my representation is not about me, it’s about God.
19. What is your favorite holiday song of all time?
[Sings “O Come All Ye Faithful”]. It’s Jesus’ birthday, so that is my favorite!
20. What can fans look forward to from you in 2025?
We’re touring the album! I’m also looking at doing some relationship tour stuff. But we’re looking at starting the Live Breathe Fight Tour at the end of March through June, so get your tickets! I’m excited for y’all to see what we got coming next year. 2025 gonna be live!
HipHopWired Featured Video
Adrian Wojnarowski, the former lead NBA reporter for ESPN, stepped down from the role earlier this year to become the general manager of his alma mater’s men’s basketball team, St. Bonaventure. In a new interview, Wojnarowski, lovingly referred to as Woj by his colleagues and readers, shared that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is monitoring his health carefully.
Woj sat down with Sports Illustrated and shared with the publication what his next steps in life are after many years as ESPN’s top NBA insider. Woj was one of the leading sports reporters covering the NBA due to his ability to obtain breaking news ahead of other outlets and his sources offered reliable tips that led to published stories.
In the SI piece, Wojnarowski does reveal that while the diagnosis was indeed jarring, it wasn’t the reason he stepped away from his coveted role at ESPN. Instead, he framed it as a moment of clarity.
From SI:
The prognosis, Woj says, is good. “When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man,” Woj says. “Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing.” He has no symptoms and says the cancer is “pretty limited in scope.” Active surveillance is the current treatment, which translates to quarterly checkups and regular monitoring. He’s been instructed to improve his eating habits, exercise more and get better sleep. Surgery is still a possibility, but for now doctors say the only reason to have it is if he can’t mentally deal with having the cancer inside him.
The sobering news aside, Wojnarowski also stated that he intends to enjoy life more and realizes that time is fleeting. One of his former ESPN colleagues, NFL insider Chris Mortensen, died in March of this year from throat cancer. After attending a memorial service for Mortensen in Arkansas this past May, the moment hammered home to Wojnarowski how unimportant the job was in comparison to spending time with loved ones.
“In the end, it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a sh*t. Nobody remembers [breaking stories] in the end. It’s just vapor,” Woj said.
Amen to that.
To read the full Sports Illustrated profile on Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski, click here.
—
Photo: Getty
In the opening moments of his latest project, Troye Sivan makes it clear that his career would not be what it is today had it not been for the queer artists who came before him. “I’m definitely not fighting for my life on the street — I get to make music videos and I get to be true to who I am,” he said. “I do feel like I really carry that with me with kind of a sense of guilt because of how lucky I feel.”
The acknowledgement comes from Sivan’s appearance on a new installation of the Audible original series Origins. Throughout the episode, Sivan dives deep into his personal backstory, examining key moments from his early life that helped foster his love of music today. In the process, he takes a look forward at where his career is headed — and what that means for music at large.
Sivan isn’t the only artist taking a deep dive on the new series. With four episodes released on Thursday (Dec. 5), Origins also delves into the childhood stories of Victoria Monét, Kali Uchis and Dominic Fike.
Trending on Billboard
Ahead of his appearance on the series, Billboard spoke with Sivan about the importance of acknowledging his queer forebearers, the “lightning in a bottle” feeling of his co-headlining Sweat Tour with Charli XCX and what’s giving him hope in dark times.
You speak a bit in this episode about the queer artists and bits of pop culture who came before you that helped pave the way for your career. Why is it important for younger listeners to learn more about our queer elders?
I feel that understanding the contributions of queer artists who came before us is vital. They navigated challenges we can’t even imagine, often at great personal risk, to express their truths and create art that resonated with their experiences. For me, it’s about honoring their legacy and understanding the cultural and historical context that shapes our present.
When you look at the very queer pop moment that we’re living in now, how do you acknowledge your place in pushing this genre forward?
I feel incredibly fortunate to feel a small part of a moment where queer voices are more visible and celebrated in pop culture. My aim has always been to create authentic art that felt true and genuine to me. I’ve always felt that people are smart and in tune to what is real, which actually makes my job fairly easy — to listen to myself and to make something real to me, that I like, and that I am proud of.
You also speak in the episode about the internet as a place for you to explore your sexuality. Obviously, the internet has changed a lot, especially over the last few years. Do you find yourself worrying for the continued curation of those safe spaces online?
I don’t know what I would have done without the internet — it has been a crucial platform for so many in the LGBTQ+ community to explore and express themselves. It’s changed a lot, and I think people always need to be weary and keep safety in mind, but I do also feel that there will always be those safe havens and communities online that foster a feeling of being seen and heard, if you know where to look.
We also get to hear you talk about the start of your acting career in the episode. Do you see yourself returning to acting any time soon, or are you more interested in focusing on your musical career?
Acting has always been a passion of mine, and I cherish the opportunities I’ve had in that realm. While music remains my primary focus, I’m open to exploring acting projects that resonate with me and scare me. I feel lucky to be able to approach acting like this, as a passion, rather than a day job.
You wrapped up the Sweat Tour with Charli last month. How do you feel looking back now on that experience today in terms of the arc of your career?
The Sweat Tour felt like lightning in a bottle. Reflecting on it, I already feel so nostalgic for it and see it as a bright highlight in my life. It spoke to all the things that feel so important to me — pop, community, collaboration, friendship.
We’re living through some pretty scary times for queer and trans people around the world. What’s giving you hope about our collective future with everything going on?
The resilience and solidarity within the queer and trans communities gives me hope. The same strength and resilience that’s got us to this point is present in our communities today.
On a balmy night in Belém, Pará in northern Brazil, just 100 miles south of the equator and close to the Amazon rainforest, a crowd of over 250,000 attendees assembled in the Mangueirão Olympic Stadium’s parking lot for an unprecedented free concert. Amid this sea of people stood a dramatic ten-story-high pyramid stage; crowning it was Alok, the superstar DJ and producer, famed for pioneering and popularizing Brazilian bass on a global scale.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
He arrived donning a shiny plant-green suit, resembling a blend between a glossy space suit and a verdant beetle. “We are here today in Belém, in the heart of the Amazon, not only to talk about an ancestral future but also to recognize the voices and the legacy of the guardians of the forest,” Alok declared on stage in Portuguese. “Living [in the Amazon] are the riverside dwellers, the Indigenous people — and now, they will share the stage. The future is ancestral is with you now, the Yawanawa.”
Aside from being the name of his latest album, “The future is ancestral” is a phrase that represents Alok’s deep dive into the ancient living traditions of the Yawanawa people who hail from the Amazon. Their ritualistic music and powerful singing offer a transcendent connection to the forest, bridging the past and the present with each note.
Trending on Billboard
This grand international affair served as the ceremonial commencement of the one-year countdown to the COP30 — the United Nations Climate Change Conference — while simultaneously launching Alok’s Aurea Tour. The event, a manifestation of resilience and hope for the enduring health of our planet, was presented by Banco do Brasil, and received full support from the government of Pará.
The three-hour concert expanded across various segments, also spotlighting local legends like Joelma, Gaby Amarantos, Zaynara, Viviane Batidão and Pinduca, many of whom represent the native music of Pará, carimbó (a traditional upbeat style characterized by Afro-Indigenous rhythms) and tecnobrega (meaning “techno tacky” — electronic reworkings of Brazilian music), as well as indie rock singer Zeeba.
The pyramid stage itself, which took two weeks to build, stood as a towering feat of modern technology, equipped with over 100 tons of gear, a 360-degree platform, and more than 2,000 LED panels. The event’s visual spectacle was further intensified by 432 drones, orchestrated by Flyworks Drone Show, which painted the night sky with luminescent forms — celestial motifs, an Indigenous headdress, and a colossus tree, all casting a magical glow over the gathered throngs.
Alok performs in Belém, Pará, Brazil on Saturday, Nov. 23 as part of his Aurea Tour, kicking off the countdown to COP30 in 2025.
Filipe Miranda
In support of these initiatives, the governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, emphasized the importance of such events in changing public perceptions and policy directions. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to host the world’s largest climate change event in Belém,” he asserted to Billboard Español, referring to COP30.
The governor highlighted the dual necessity of preserving the immense biodiversity of the Amazon while also considering the livelihoods of its 29 million inhabitants — drawing a vivid picture of the “urban Amazonians, riverine Amazonians, and Indigenous peoples” who form the fabric of this vibrant ecosystem. “I believe there is no more symbolically important place for this than the Amazon than Belém. We understand that using entertainment to engage society is crucial,” Barbalho added.
But it was a profound personal journey that set Alok on this path a decade ago. Struggling with a deep depression in 2014, the artist sought solace and meaning. “I was looking for answers. I just felt a huge emptiness,” he said days before the event at the Ilha do Combú, an island located along the Guamá River. “A friend of mine showed me a YouTube video of Saiti Kaya, from the Yawanawa, singing, and it was just beautiful. I said, ‘Wow, this is inspiration. I want to go there. I want to visit them.’”
With nothing to lose, Alok booked his journey, unaware that it would require three flights totaling 13 hours, followed by a grueling nine-hour trip in a small canoe (“not a boat,” he added with a chuckle). As he navigated the river, a massive rainstorm suddenly erupted, prompting him to question, “What am I doing here?” But he pressed on, compelled by a deep need to continue.
Upon arriving, Alok experienced a profound realization. “We have this impression that we are a more developed culture and they are less developed. As soon as I arrived there, I realized that [notion] doesn’t exist. It’s different views and different goals. The way they connect with nature was something that we lost a long time ago.”
During his 10-day immersion with the Yawanawa people, Alok engaged with their traditional practices, diving into the spiritual and medicinal aspects of their culture. He participated in rituals involving ayahuasca — a potent hallucinogenic brew, made from specific vines known for their powerful psychoactive effects — and kambo, which involves applying the secretion of a frog to burns on the skin, believed by many to cleanse the body and mind. These experiences opened new realms of understanding for Alok, touching on themes of life, death and rebirth inherent in these rites.
Alok explained that the discovery of ayahuasca is a miracle of nature, requiring a mysterious combination of two plants among the vast biodiversity of the Amazon. The odds of such a discovery, he noted, were astronomically low, “one in 100 million.”
“[The Yawanawa] told me that it was a dream how they found out how to combine,” he added. “We have an enzyme in our digestive [system] that does not allow the DMT to release. What happens is that one plant releases the DMT and the other one shuts down our enzyme. So that’s how it works properly. It was a life-changing experience that [transformed] how I contribute through my art.” He explains that he ultimately shifted from commercial hits to “songs for healing.”
“For us, music is vital,” said Célia Xakriabá, an activist of the Xakriabá people of Brazil and the first Indigenous woman to earn a doctorate in anthropology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. “Many ask, ‘What’s the top hit this year?’ For my people, the most significant music isn’t the newest but the oldest, the most ancestral. [Alok] said to me, ‘Célia, I’ve had the impression of singing to millions of people and them not hearing me.’ And I said, ‘Maybe it’s because you’re singing from too high a stage. We, Indigenous people, sing from the earth.’”
Meanwhile, Mapu Huni Kuin, spiritual leader, chief, and musician of the Huni Kuin people, was discovered by Alok through his song “Índio Mensageiro” on YouTube. Mapu recalled how Alok reached out to him, not only appreciating his art but recognizing the potential for greater awareness and preservation: “He saw this project as an opportunity for us to archive our knowledge and practices for future generations — our prayers, our art, our way of life.”
Alok released The Future is Ancestral in April, a nine-track album that features Yawanawa Saiti Kaya, Guarani Nhandewa, Wyanã Kariri Xocó, Brô MC’s, OWERÁ, Kaingang, as well as Mapu and Célia, representing a total of eight Indigenous communities from Brazil to help save the Amazon; all proceeds directly support the artists and their communities.
“What we present is the voice of the forest,” said Mapu. “The Future Is Ancestral is about making people listen to what the elders used to say and speak, and the best way is through our sacred chants. We pray for the healing of humanity.”
“It’s a platform that amplifies the Indigenous voices of Brazil, which has faced significant threats. Once numbering five million, we are now only one million and seven hundred,” added Célia. “Indigenous peoples make up 5% of the world’s population yet protect 82% of its biodiversity. Together with traditional communities, we represent 50% of the solutions for the planet’s health. So, when Indigenous peoples sing, the forest sings with us.”
Aligning with the environmental goals of his album, Alok brought up a relevant global initiative to emphasize the practical importance of natural solutions, “Elon Musk launched the XPRIZE [Carbon Removal] competition. If you could create a technology that’s able to remove the carbon [dioxide] from the atmosphere, you would get $100 million. That exists; it’s called trees. You know what I mean? That’s the point.”
He continued to reflect on the cultural paradigm shift his project aims to bolster: “That’s why every time we say ‘The Future sI Ancestral,’ we are bringing the ancestral knowledge to create a sustainable future for us. That’s the most important point about this project — it’s raising their voices. I’m very proud of them. Something beautiful about this project is that many times when I work with [other non-Indigenous] artists, it’s always about ‘them, them, them.’ But with the Indigenous, it’s different, they always think about the collective.”
Governor Barbalho highlighted the strategic preparations for Belém to host the upcoming COP30 next year, underscoring its significance not just locally but globally: “We are preparing Belém to host 60,000 attendees immersed in environmental discussions, exploring solutions and tackling social challenges. This positions us to leave a tangible legacy for the environment and the city.” In conjunction with COP30, Global Citizen Fest will also take place in Belém, simultaneously, marking the first time the New York City festival arrives in Latin America.
“Our generation has a unique opportunity to create a lasting legacy for the Amazon and its people, and to improve Belém as a city,” explained Barbalho. “My hope is that by the end of this journey, we will have played our part in ushering in a new era for this generation. More importantly, I hope we leave future generations with a healthier environment and a thriving forest that holds environmental, social, and economic value.”
Alok reflected on the transformative potential of intertwining ancestral knowledge with contemporary global movements. “It is [imperative] that the population understands the importance of COP30, which is going to be the most significant one in history,” said Alok. “We are approaching [what is called] the point of no return. Just this year in Brazil, we’ve lost an area equivalent to 130 cities the size of São Paulo — home to 11.5 million people — to deforestation. The forest cannot recover by itself. People need to realize that Brazil can be a leader in sustainable growth and how we can onboard others. The population must pressure our leaders to make real changes.”
As COP30 approaches, Belém becomes a turning point in global environmental advocacy, with the help of Alok and The Future is Ancestral project. With the world watching, there is a collective aspiration that the international event will highlight the critical need for sustainable practices and mobilize concrete actions to safeguard our planet for generations to come.
Alok performs in Belém, Pará, Brazil on Saturday, Nov. 23 as part of his Aurea Tour, kicking off the countdown to COP30 in 2025.
Filipe Miranda
Disclosure: This trip to cover Alok’s concert in Belém, Pará, Brazil was sponsored by Alok’s team and the government of Pará, who provided funding for the flight and accommodations.
Brazilian DJ Alok is poised to electrify the Amazon rainforest with a free concert expected to draw a massive crowd of 120,000.
Presented by Banco do Brasil, with sponsorships from the Government of Pará, Estrella Galicia, Vale and Vivo, and as part of the artist’s Áurea Tour, the landmark event will be livestreamed globally on Saturday (Nov. 23), marking the official one-year countdown to the international climate summit, COP30. Hosted at the Mangueirão Olympic Stadium in Belém, Pará, along the fringes of the Amazon jungle, the event is a celebration of resilience and hope for our planet’s future.
“We need to make COP pop,” Alok told Billboard Español days before the concert, expressing the desire to make the Conference of the Parties (COP) — the United Nations Climate Change Conference — more mainstream and accessible to the general public.
“It is [imperative] that the population understands the importance of COP30, which is going to be the most significant one in history,” he said. “We are approaching [what is called] the point of no return. Just this year in Brazil, we’ve lost an area equivalent to 130 cities the size of São Paulo — home to 11.5 million people — to deforestation. The forest cannot recover by itself. People need to realize that Brazil can be a leader in sustainable growth and how we can onboard others. The population must pressure our leaders to make real changes.”
Trending on Billboard
This approach will aim to bridge the gap between high-level climate negotiations and the general public’s understanding and involvement in these issues.
Local talent Joelma, Gaby Amarantos, Zaynara, Viviane Batidão and Pinduca are among the confirmed acts, as well as indigenous artists Mapu Huni Kuin, Owerá, Brô MC’s, Yawanawás, Célia Xakriabá, Kaingang and Guarani Nhandewa, who are also featured on Alok’s latest album, The Future Is Ancestral.
“We understand that the use of entertainment to engage society is fundamental,” the Governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho, told Billboard. “It is an extraordinary opportunity to host the world’s largest climate change event, making Belém’s selection a new paradigm for humanity in valuing the rainforest. Alok has been doing this over time — not just now — defending the forest, valuing ancestral peoples, and connecting the history and challenges of the Amazon with a global dialogue. Through this connection, this allows us to make our voices heard around the globe.”
“What we present is the voice of the forest,” said Mapu Huni Kuin, spiritual leader, chief, and musician of the Huni Kuin people in Brazil. “We pray for the healing of humanity as we perform. This event in Belém is an offering of our prayers and chants, a profound plea for the welfare of all.”
“Participating in the Future Is Ancestral project allows us to bridge the gap between modern platforms and our ancient voices,” added Célia Xakriabá, an indigenous educator and activist of the Xakriabá people of Brazil. “For over five centuries, we’ve remained unheard, but today, our presence on platforms like these, alongside the greenery of forests and the resilience of our cultures, communicates crucial messages. Entertainment plays a unique role in conveying our message even to those reluctant to endorse our causes. If humanity wishes to survive, it must align with the perspectives of indigenous peoples, as our fight is for the survival of everyone’s future.”
The intersection of worlds at the event will be complemented by a cutting-edge, pyramid-like stage setup, featuring over 100 tons of equipment, a 360-degree rotating platform, and more than 2,000 LED panels to ensure an immersive experience.
The live stream will start at 7 p.m. ET. Watch it below:
The first time Annie Gonzalez was invited to audition for the role of Jenni Rivera in the upcoming biopic JENNI, the actress passed on it. It was right after Flamin’ Hot came out, she was burned out from the promotion of that movie, and — she can now admit — she was nervous to play the late Mexican-American superstar. Even one week later, when she got a text from a member of the casting team asking if there was a reason she wouldn’t try for it, she couldn’t come immediately to her senses.
“I opened the message and I closed it. I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to respond,’” Gonzalez tells Billboard Español. “I think for me, being sixth-generation [Mexican-American], and Jenni being so prominent, am I going to be able to do it justice? I respect her as a woman, I respect her as an artist, and I respect and honor those who have passed. I would never want to just take something because I’m selfish. I never look at work like that.”
Trending on Billboard
She instead went to Mexico on vacation, where she was having a good time speaking Spanish and enjoying the local music and culture — when she started having second thoughts. “I think I might want to do it,” she told a friend. “Two days later, I get a call from my manager, and she’s like, ‘Producers really want to see you for the role.’ I go like, ‘OK, I fly back tomorrow. Give me a day.’”
The moment Gonzalez did her audition tape, she had a strong feeling she was booking the role. “But it was a journey,” she explains. “I did multiple producer sessions and director sessions. I even got to meet with [director] Gigi [Saul Guerrero] and that, for me, was the real selling point.”
The final step was meeting Jenni Rivera’s children for their final approval. She recalls them being cautiously doubtful at first, but she won them over a 30 minute call. “So I met with them on Zoom in my makeup, and I did my read with them,” Gonzalez, who is also a phenomenal singer and performs all the songs on the movie, recalls. “I sang for them, and they were like, ‘OK’.” The role was officially hers.
JENNI will premiere on ViX and select theaters in the U.S. and Mexico on December 6. It follows Rivera from her humble beginnings in her hometown of Long Beach, California, to her rise to fame and the last days before her tragic and unexpected death. Known as “La Diva de la Banda,” she was the single most successful woman in regional Mexican music and on the Billboard Latin charts when she tragically died in a plane crash in 2012 at the age of 43.
Annie Gonzalez as Jenni Rivera in JENNI
Courtesy of ViX
A trailer of the movie shows Gonzalez — who is also credited as executive producer — performing Rivera’s early song “La Chacalosa” at a night club. “My life ain’t no fairy tale,” she’s heard saying while the song continues in the background and a collage of scenes shows Jenni’s struggles with teenage pregnancy, domestic violence and stumbles with the law, but also her ascend to stardom and role as the proud mother of five.
Rivera’s life is something the actress could identify with. “I’m from East L.A. hood; she’s from Long Beach hood. My dad’s a musician; [her dad was a musician too],” she says, adding: “I myself am a survivor of sexual assault. I myself am a survivor of domestic violence. I myself am a f–king warrior, and […] yes, this is the story I want to tell. This complex, beautiful, kind woman who found her power on the stage.”
On her first in-depth interview about JENNI, Gonzalez also spoke with Billboard Español about how this movie changed her, her own plans in music and her expectations for the film.
What did you know about Jenni Rivera before? What do you remember the most?
What I remember the most about her was like her fuerza, her fire, her fight. How people loved and fought for her. And Jenni made music for the malandrinas, for the women that were like, “I don’t give a f–k.” But more than that, I think she made music for people with grit, who have been through things, who didn’t feel like they had a space to cry out. That even though the world tried to beat them down, they were going to get up time and time again, that that was not the thing that was going to define them. That’s what I knew about Jenni and that’s what excited me to this beast of a role.
How did you get ready for it?
I didn’t know too much about her personal story until I read her book, and then I watched [Telemundo’s series on Rivera’s life] Mariposa de Barrio, and [her reality show] I Love Jenni and interviews. I did a lot of research. The little that I knew about her was just that that she had this fight that I could identify with: I’m from East L.A. hood; she’s from Long Beach hood. My dad’s a musician [and her dad was a musician too].
I saw myself in her once I learned her story. But I could never emulate this specific energy that this woman was like — We can never. We can try, right? But I’m not going to become her. What I can do is tell her story from a rooted place because I’ve been through it. I myself am a survivor of sexual assault. I myself am a survivor of domestic violence. I myself am a f–king warrior, and I love that when I saw it, I was like, “Yes, this is the story I want to tell. This complex, beautiful, kind woman who found her power on the stage because she couldn’t get it at home.”
How was it for you, as a rape and domestic violence survivor, to go through those difficult scenes?
You know, I think I had about six months leading up to actually shooting the role. And when I went through the script and saw — you know, my whole body was like, creeping and crawling, because there were things that I hadn’t yet wanted to look at in my own life. And I realized that, by avoiding it, there were blockages in me as a woman, just as Annie. And if there’s blockages in me as a woman, there’s going to be blockages in my work. And if there’s blockages in my work, then there’s blockages in my life. How we do anything is how we do everything.
I worked with a therapist very closely towards leading up to it, and then during and after. But I think seeing how she maneuvered through it, and how she used it as a superpower more than something that was going to block her — she created a whole organization to help women. She understood the reason that she has this visibility is for something bigger than herself, even if she didn’t know how to do it.
They say the highest form of love is service. That’s what she did, and she did it at a time when it wasn’t popular. So when I saw that, I was like, all right, I think there’s something here for me to help people that I love. So many women in my family, and even young boys, have been affected by it, by sexual assault.
Is this your first time opening up about these issues?
This is my first time talking about it publicly. Because you do, you can get a lot of backlash, and you know, like, Jenni was a coqueta, she liked to dress the way she dressed, and a lot of the time it’s “Well, why did you dress like that?” It’s like, “No, I was nine years old when it happened. Sorry. No.”
What did you learn about yourself through this movie?
I never felt like my body was my own. I cannot tell you how many relationships or things I said yes to that I didn’t know I could say no to until I got to portray Jenni on screen. Like she helped heal parts of me that I never wanted to look at, that I didn’t even know were there, that now I hold that version of myself so tightly, and I’m so f–king proud of her, and I pray that anybody who watches this gets set free just a little bit more.
You sing on the film as well, and you do it beautifully. Any plans to start a career in music after this?
Yeah, I’ve sang my whole life, but I’ve always been so terrified to do music, because I’ve always felt like if you don’t like my work as an actress that’s okay, you don’t like the character. But if you don’t like my music, you don’t like me. That’s my poetry, that’s my heart. That’s everything that lives inside of me. But as I’m getting older — and honestly, I swear, JENNI transformed me — I live by this quote by George Bernard Shaw, which is essentially like: “I want to burn the candle at both ends when I go.”
You know, when I’m here I have a splendid torch that I get to hold on just for a moment until I can pass it on to the next generation. I’m not going to waste it on being fearful, crying that the world is not going to submit to me or bend at my will. I’m going to fight and have fun doing it. So yes, all that to say, I’m working on an EP.
Can you give us some details? Are you gonna be singing in Spanish? English?
Both. You know, I have a corrido that I’m working on, that my dad wrote that I’m I’m really excited to come out with; I believe it’s gonna come out at the top of December. But right now I’m having fun with figuring out what my sound will be. It’s funny, you know, at this point it’s like I’m already in the public eye, might as well do it with. We’ll all help me figure it out. The energy of the universe will help me.
Do you have a favorite Jenni Rivera song?
Oh, I love “No Llega El Olvido”! “Ovarios” is such a good song, too. God! I love that song. I love how it’s like you just feel like you’re in the club or in the bar with your with your amigas just drinking.
What does your father say about you playing Jenni?
Oh, my God, he’s like he gets, he gets so giddy! He’s like, “Babe, you’re doing it! This is gonna make you huge. You’re gonna be a big star.” And I’m like, “I don’t know. I’m just having fun.” If I can pay my bills and I can go on vacation when I want, that’s the freedom I love. And just keep making more movies, more music, you know.
What do you expect the audience to get from from JENNI the movie?
I have no expectation. I think what I’ve learned as an artist is: My job is to make the food, and however you decide to eat it, digest it, or what you decide to do with it, I can’t force you to do anything that you don’t already feel inspired to want to do with it. My job is to make you feel now how you feel. Thereafter, I can’t control. You might watch it and feel inspired and healed. You might watch it and hate it. You might watch it and love it. You might watch and say, “Huh! I didn’t know that about her.” I just want people to go watch it.
I think it’s an important film because we don’t really get many stories like this with faces like ours, with latino faces, latino women leading films — even behind the camera. The DP (director of photography) was a woman. The director was a woman. I got an opportunity to executive produce on the project. And we’re talking about domestic violence and sexual violence in a way that’s not making the protagonist the victim but instead the hero of her own story — and showing what fame can do in a positive light, and what it can do sometimes at the detriment to ourselves if we don’t have a solid foundation. So I just hope that this brings people in a space together to have more conversations. I hope that this starts a conversation.