Interview
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Gloria Estefan can do it all — from breaking molds in the music industry to doing her own laundry, literally. And she knows it.
It’s something she learned from the biggest “legends” in her life: her grandmother Consuelo and her mother Gloria Fajardo, whose life circumstances forced them to take the reins and provide for their family. “I grew up with two women who did everything,” Estefan says. “So for me there was never the question [of], ‘Well, as a woman, can I do this?’ Because the women in my life did it all.”
Since rising to stardom in the 1980s as the lead vocalist for the Miami Sound Machine — alongside her husband, visionary producer Emilio Estefan — Gloria Estefan has helped infuse Latin flavor into English-language pop music, breaking barriers with hits like “Conga” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” and singing at the same time en Español.
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On the Billboard charts, she has placed 29 songs on the Hot 100, including three No. 1 hits (“Anything For You” in 1988, “Don’t Wanna Lose You” in 1989 and “Coming Out of the Dark ” in 1991) — as well as 30 hits on Hot Latin Songs, 15 of which reached the top spot (from “No Me Vuelvo A Enamorar” in 1986 to “Hotel Nacional” in 2012). Her first full-length album in Spanish, Mi Tierra (1993), spent a whopping 58 weeks at the summit of Top Latin Albums, and won her first of three Grammy Awards.
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This weekend, the Cuban-American superstar — who only six months ago became the first ever Latina artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame — will receive the Legend award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala in Miami.
You are a music icon and a legend. What many may not know is how down to earth you are. I remember I interviewed you a few years ago over the phone and you apologized for the noise of the washing machine — you said that you were doing laundry because you were going on a trip, and I confess I was impressed. I didn’t imagine that Gloria Estefan washed her own clothes.
Sometimes I have to, you know? [Laughs.] I am blessed to have staff at home who are really family — they have been with us for more than 30 years, and they pamper and spoil me a lot — but there come times when there are some things that you have to do yourself. And of course, I know how to do everything! And Emilio is the same too. Emilio starts cleaning because he is meticulous, he sprays water everywhere with the hose. It’s hilarious to watch.
How have you managed to stay so grounded despite all the fame and success?
You know what, I went through a lot as a child. Taking care of my dad [who had multiple sclerosis], trying to help my mother, who had everything left on her shoulders — raising her two daughters, helping my grandmother. My grandmother helped us too. I believe that when you have the example of knowing what’s really [worthwhile] in life, the things that have real value, which is health primarily, love, affection, family — and if it weren’t for my family I wouldn’t know where I’d be — that helps me a lot.
Also, I already had a son when we achieved great global success, and I was still a mother; I would take him on tour with me and he would see me on stage and see that part, but when I got off I was just a mom. Having family with you like that really keeps you grounded.
Who have been the female legends in your life, as a woman and as a musician?
My grandmother Consuelo, who came to this country at 57. She didn’t speak English. She grabbed my grandfather and told him, “This is what we’re going to do” — and she created a food business, with which she managed to buy her home and help us. She was an entrepreneurial woman who unfortunately was taken out of school in Cuba when she was 9, because it was the global Depression and she had many siblings and they had to help the family work to survive. She wanted to be a lawyer, she was born in 1905 — a woman in Cuba! She was brilliant. She was spiritual, someone who gave everything and helped many people.
My mother too. I grew up with two women who did everything, so for me there was never the question, “Well, as a woman, can I do this?” because the women in my life did it all. My father was sick, my grandfather too, so women had to take charge of everything.
And on a professional level, Celia Cruz was an inspiration for me — a woman whose humbleness, professionalism, love for what she did, for her people, for her fans, her family… I had the joy of being able to be her friend and share time with her, and she was a very big example for me. She was ageless on stage! For me, that is a legend, someone who really breaks all the molds that exist. That was Celia. So that is the triangle of women who have somehow left their mark on me in a thousand ways.
You’ve stayed active in music. Only last year, you released a Christmas album with your family and recorded the main track from the movie 80 For Brady (“Gonna Be You”). Now you’re writing a Broadway musical with your daughter Emily. You could easily retire and live off the royalties of your many hits. What keeps you going?
For me, it is a blessing and a privilege to be able to make music and in some way inspire others who listen to it; That is what I enjoy the most. Right now, we’re in the workshop of a musical that we have been working on for two years. It has been an inspiration to be part of the process and even more so working with my daughter, which is a very unique opportunity, and to put new songs in the hearts of people tied to an original musical based on the real life story of The Cateura Orchestra of Recycled Instruments [in Paraguay]. They are children who live next to a landfill, and the man who did all this created a music school and they have made instruments from waste and live off that landfill.
It is inspiring to see the triumph of the spirit of young people who, under the most difficult circumstances, have managed to send music to the world. This is not work for me. The luxury I have now is that I can choose the projects to which I say yes […] because now I also have a grandson and I don’t want to be away, I don’t want to miss those years that go by so quickly. So it’s a nice balance.
You have also remained active with the Gloria Estefan Foundation, which you created in 1997 in response to your accident (of 1990, when a truck crashed into your tour bus and left you temporarily paralyzed). What would you say has been the greatest satisfaction it has given you?
Being able to be of service to others. It is a privilege to be able to help in any way. We have many organizations that we support […] I also want to be part of the paralysis cure, because I was paralyzed and I was a positive story after that accident, so I want to help in any way. We help teachers a lot, because my mother was a teacher, so that they can help their children, because sometimes public schools don’t have the funds.
And a strange thing, but something I love: the Miami Beach Police can’t buy bulletproof vests for the police dogs, because they are very expensive and are not in the budget. So many of the dogs were dying — and I was able to buy vests and donate them, so they are more protected, because I also love animals. It is a nice way to be part of the community, be of service to others and find the best way to help.
Would you say that the accident was the most difficult moment you have ever had to go through?
It wasn’t fun, I can tell you that. But I wouldn’t change it. I wouldn’t want to go through it again, but, although I already appreciated life a lot, it gave me a way to live totally grateful every day of my life — for simply being able to stand up, go get a glass of water myself. Because my father was in a wheelchair, I knew what my family would experience if I remained in a wheelchair. Although I am very positive, and if I had stayed in the chair I would be playing basketball. [Laughs.]
It was difficult, but I had so much support, so many prayers that I felt and absorbed and that I know are part of my recovery. I worked very hard, doing six to seven hours a day of rehab — first floating in the pool, because I couldn’t walk. Until I was able to step on stage, 20 days before the one year anniversary of the accident. Every year when that date arrives, the day I broke my back, March 20, […] I celebrate my rebirth. So I’m only 34 years old right now.
How would you describe the role that music has had in your life?
Music for me has been the vehicle of my soul. To express myself. To stay strong. To vent. To have fun, celebrate. Music is the center of my life. Always has been. I’ve been singing since I’ve been able to talk, it came with me. And it’s not that I had to be famous or anything, because I had to get used to being the center of attention — it’s not part of my personality. But I can’t imagine my life without music. And having the privilege of other people listening to my lyrics, my melodies, is something I feel grateful for every day of my life.
When you look back, what moment as a Latin woman in music do you view with greatest pride?
The album Mi Tierra. Definitely. Because although I grew up in this country — I came when I was two and a half years old, and American music and everything I listened to became part of me — to be able to share my culture, an era of Cuban music that was paralyzed with the revolution and didn’t grow any more, being able to make original songs that celebrate and honor Cuban music and spread it throughout the world, for me is my greatest achievement. And if I had to leave only one album, it would be that one.
Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 will air exclusively on Telemundo Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET, and will also be available on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.
After being named a global brand ambassador for Versace in May, KUN is taking the partnership to the next level with a collaborative single with the Italian luxury brand that highlights the Chinese pop star’s inspiration from the intersection of music and fashion.
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Set to debut in an upcoming campaign for Versace Mercury sneakers, “Afterglow” will be released globally in full this coming Friday, June 9. Like his previous hits on Billboard‘s China TME UNI Chart including 2022’s “Hug Me” and “TITLE” from last year, KUN immersed himself in the creative process for “Afterglow” by utilizing inspirations like patterns and cuts to deliver a blend of dark synthesizers and rock-inspired vocals.
Working as a singer and actor since his teens, KUN has spent the last 10 years showcasing an evolution from a reality TV breakout and boy band member to a full-fledged solo superstar with several albums, overseas tours, and high-profile brand endorsements to his name. Currently, the C-pop star is collaborating with writers and producers in the U.S. to craft a globally focused music project with the upcoming “Afterglow” single release representing what he calls “a brand-new KUN sound.”
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Read on for more from KUN on “Afterglow” and its importance in setting up what should be a major 2024 and 2025 with more music, live performances, tours and other treats for fans worldwide.
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Congratulations on launching “Afterglow” alongside your global ambassadorship with Versace! Tell us more about it and how you started creating the track?
“Afterglow” is a brand-new single I produced in collaboration with Versace. I approached this song from what I learned in fashion culture — this piece truly reflects my journey as a musician and performing artist. Over the last two years, I have explored and experimented with many different genres, blending old-school with new-school elements, and incorporating my personal taste into modern music. “Afterglow” is born from all this process.
You’re known for being involved in composing your songs. In what ways did you get creatively involved with “Afterglow”?
I draw inspiration from how designers curate their clothing patterns, the sleek cut details and the attention to quality, and translate that into the song. I wanted the synth design to be unique, edgy, and dark while having vocals retaining that rock element. While writing, I imagined scenes of fashion runway — flashing strobe lights — with a more mysterious feel. The runway would be a perfect setting for this sound.
What does “Afterglow” represent for your music career?
Starting from “Afterglow,” we will hear a brand-new KUN sound. We’re starting a new chapter in music, and looking to release more songs in both Chinese and English.
Will “Afterglow” have its own music video too?
Many fans might remember our previous Art Lab live concert. Here’s some exclusive news for my Billboard friends: Art Lab 2.0 is coming soon, including a live performance of “Afterglow.”
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How does fashion influence your life day to day?
Fashion always inspires me in the creative process of songwriting. I love vintage clothing just like how I love listening to classic songs, as well as cowboy hats and rough jeans when writing rock songs. Fashion design is a tedious process that involves constant fine-tuning until the final product is developed. That process provokes or intrigues; it has no creative boundary. Very much like when making music, there are endless possibilities.
I read that your Versace news went viral in China with 400 million views on Weibo in under a week and a No. 1 search topic for hours. Were you expecting such an exciting response?
I was in a song camp at that [time]. It was around 3 a.m. so I was actually in bed when my team woke me up and told me the good news. I appreciate everything my fans do for me and we support each other all the way.
You visited the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. on your KUN ONE Tour in 2019. Are there any plans for more overseas shows?
We are planning many surprises this year; more news is coming. I have been in the studio nonstop for an upcoming new project. I am also designing a new music show production that can bring sound to life on a live stage with some talented writers and producers from all over the world.
What else can we expect from you in 2024?
2024 has been my first step into building a label and company that represents the art I love so much. I’ve been aiming at creating and releasing a few global music projects from my label this year and thinking about a global tour, so I’m pushing myself to hit these deadlines. I’ve never released an official global album, and I’m putting in the work to make that a reality. The music is the focus though, so if I don’t feel it’s ready, I may wait until early 2025. I’m enjoying the process of it all.
Any other goals for this year?
Goals… meet my deadlines. [Laughs] And if I meet those deadlines, the next goal is a real one: to make sure the people who listen to the music and experience it live can feel the same way I did when I was creating it. If they tell me that they felt something, I hit my goals for 2024.
Anything else to share with readers or international fans at this time?
I’d love to work with artists from around the world. Collaboration with artists of different cultures is what I love about art, music, and fashion, so for international listeners, message me with ideas, and also message me with cities that you think would want to experience my new projects.
Yu Cong
Yu Cong
Yu Cong
As a child, Vivir Quintana thought she could aspire to be anything but president of Mexico. “Back then I thought it was a job for men,” recalls the Mexican singer-songwriter, who now sings to the woman who could become on Sunday (June 2) the first female president of the Latin American country, framed for years by its machista culture.
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“Compañera Presidenta” is the song that Quintana composed in honor of Mexico’s potential first female president, a respectful letter to the two women leading the polls: candidate Claudia Sheinbaum, of the ruling Morena party, and Xóchitl Gálvez, the standard-bearer of the opposition alliance formed by the PRI, PAN and PRD parties.
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“Que no te duermas sin deberle la justicia a las madres que ahora buscan por ahí a sus hijas entre fosas clandestinas,” reads a fragment of her song, translating to “That you do not go to sleep without owing justice to the mothers who are now searching out there for their daughters among clandestine graves.” Released Monday (May 27) night, the song honors the tireless work done by Mexican mothers searching for their missing children among the nearly 100,000 unaccounted for since 1962, according to official figures.
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“The mothers who fight are the ones who have touched my life and my heart the most. I have been with them in public and intimate moments, feeling pain for all of them and crying out for justice,” Quintana tells Billboard Español.
The song arrives just days after the artist, originally from Coahuila, in northern Mexico, posted a message on her X account addressing both candidates where she asks them for empathy for causes such as gender violence. The response from the presidential hopefuls came just hours later on the same social network.
“Dear Vivir, dear companion. Your music moves and inspires me. Your call to work together gives me the certainty that Mexico can be a different country. A country where going out on the street is not a risk for women. A country where equality is not a claim but a palpable reality,” tweeted Galvez.
On the other hand, Sheimbaum responded: “Vivir, thank you for your letter. It is clear to me that I do not arrive alone, we all arrive; with our ancestors, with our mothers, with our daughters and our granddaughters. I will be a companion, with responsibility and sensitivity. I will be at the service of our generous and wonderful people.”
“I didn’t expect the response so quickly,” Quintana tells Billboard Español about the May 24 exchange. “The truth is that I was very hopeful about the response from both of them, and I hope that whoever is elected, I will accompany her with my music. Yes, I am being a supporter, but I also hope that it is a commitment on their part.”
The social-justice corridos singer explains that “Compañera Presidenta” (roughly translating to “Dear Madam President”) is her own composition, featured in the book Presidenta, by journalist Yuriria Sierra. In the book, Sierra brings together a hundred women from various fields including culture, politics, activism and economy, to share their hopes for the nation’s future with the next leader of the Federal Executive.
“My way of communicating with people, with my parents, with my friends, is through music,” explains Quintana. “That’s where the idea came from.”
With one album to her name, 2023’s Te Mereces Un Amor, Vivir Quintana has become a benchmark for social corridos, a fusion of traditional Mexican music with lyrics about societal issues. Her song “Canción Sin Miedo” (2020), inspired by the femicide of a friend, became the feminist anthem that accompanies all marches and demonstrations against gender violence in Mexico, and the struggle of searching mothers and defenders of human rights and the environment.
In addition, the song “Árboles Bajo el Mar,” which she performs as a duet with Mare Advertencia Lirika, was included in the soundtrack of the 2022 film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And her song “Te Mereces un Amor” was part of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s playlist to confront corridos tumbados, which he believes glorifies the opulent and eccentric lifestyles of drug traffickers to the youth.
Mexico will hold the largest general election in its history on Sunday, when more than 97 million Mexicans will go to the polls to vote for the renewal of just over 20,000 elected officials, including the country’s presidency.
Quintana says she will also make her vote count as a Mexican citizen. In addition to Sheinbaum and Gálvez, the standard-bearer of the Movimiento Ciudadano party, Jorge Álvarez Máynez, also aspires to be president of Mexico.
“I feel that Xóchitl (Gálvez) and Claudia (Sheinbaum) serve as referents, showing that there have been other female candidates before them, and that we are not far from it being achieved,” she says. “My 16-year-old niece can now dream of becoming a woman president. Let it not be seen as unattainable.”
After navigating the spaces between funk, disco and rock in his first two albums, Colombian singer-songwriter Manuel Medrano reveals that his third studio album, Perfecto, is mostly pop. The set, which will be released on June 1 under Warner Music México, includes the previously released singles “Verano en NY” and “Este Cuento” among its 14 songs.
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“I think it’s a tribute to pop,” Medrano tells Billboard‘s Leila Cobo in an interview for Billboard News. “It’s also a way to show a little bit of everything I’ve learned in my processes.”
Since he debuted in 2015 with a self-titled album that earned him the 2016 Latin Grammy Award for best new artist and best singer-songwriter album, Medrano has taken several years between one project and another. His second LP, Eterno, came out in 2021.
“I feel it’s normal for an artist to take four or five, sometimes seven years to release an album,” he said. “The processes of modern music involve many people working for an artist, many songwriters, many producers, with a huge infrastructure for an artist to release songs every weekend. I come from another school.”
Continuing, Medrano added that he was “not criticizing the processes of other artists either, they seem fabulous and I’m connecting more and more with them.” But, when it comes to his own personal release strategy, the singer said that he leans “a little more traditional — me with my guitar, in special moments of my life, in my happy place. More intimate, getting everything out, putting everything on the table.”
Dressed in a cream suit over a black silky shirt, Medrano also spoke about his tattoos — he revealed what the next one he plans to get is — and even sang a snippet of one of the new unreleased songs from the album, “Mojado”. Watch the full interview in the video above.
Nearly 35 years after Lenny Kravitz made his Billboard Hot 100 debut with 1989’s timeless “Let Love Rule,” the iconic rocker’s star is blazing brighter than ever.
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Already boasting 15.1 million albums sold in the U.S. during the Luminate era (since 1991) and 884.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams for his catalog, according to Luminate, Kravitz has spent the last two years collecting honors reserved for the entertainment industry’s uppermost echelon. In 2023, he penned “Road to Freedom” for the Academy Award-nominated film Rustin, an Obamas-produced biopic of gay Black civil rights icon Bayard Rustin, netting both a Golden Globe nomination. At the top of 2024, the four-time Grammy winner was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which gave way to a celebration that featured a tear-jerking tribute speech from longtime friend Denzel Washington. Of course, Kravitz also earned his very first nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, cementing something of a re-peak and “Lennaissance” for the 59-year-old icon.
“I’m so, so grateful. If you’re blessed and you live long enough, you get to see some of these things,” he reflects. “I’ve always kind of had blinders on and just been moving forward and never thought about these kinds of things — what kind of acceptance or what kind of flowers and whatnot. I’m just here to create and to keep creating.”
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Never one to spend too long reminiscing on what he’s already accomplished, Kravitz has spent the last four years preparing Blue Electric Light. Serving as his twelfth studio album and first LP since 2018’s Raise Vibration, the new record was crafted in the Bahamas amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Peppered with influences ranging from Motown to gospel, every chord of Blue Electric Light rings with gratitude; odes to the innumerable intricacies of the universe, God and love in all of its variations comprise the succinct 12-song tracklist.
Kravitz kicked off the LP’s campaign late last year with the release of the equal parts spunky and funky “TK421.” Assisted by a cheeky music video featuring a frequently nude Kravitz, the song wholly embodies the gloriously rambunctious feel of Blue Electric Light. The bare-bodied clip was a natural culmination of the rock legend’s commitment to flaunting his impressively maintained physique across social media. This is an album from an artist who intimately understands the virtues of continuing to grow up and remaining open to what life has to offer.
In a revealing conversation with Billboard, Lenny Kravitz breaks down the making of Blue Electric Light, gushes over his friendship with Washington, reflects on the concept of genre and reminisces about how childhood trips to his mother’s closet influenced his iconic style and inimitable cool.
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You recorded this album at home in the Bahamas. Do you find location impacts the recording process for you?
My studio’s here. I’ve made the last few records here and it’s just a place where I really get grounded. The more grounded I am, the more in nature I am, the more quiet I am, the less people that are around — I hear more and more and more. I just get to a place where I’m just living in this universe of music. It doesn’t influence the kind of music. The type of music that comes, comes. The amount of music I hear and the clarity in this location is definitely intensified.
You’ve received several incredible honors over the past two years. How does it feel to know that you’ve cultivated a career with so much longevity and respect?
In my 20s, when all these things [were] starting to happen, I didn’t take the time to sit for a moment and say, Wow, this is wonderful. I’ve always been grateful, but I never took time to enjoy those moments. To smell the flowers, if you will. Some years ago, I said when this kind of energy is happening again, I’m going to stop and take the time and really smell the roses and acknowledge it because there’s nothing wrong with it. There’s [now] an even higher level of gratitude.
Do you think that just comes with you getting older and gaining more life experience?
I’ve always been [a person] that never thinks he’s done anything. My daughter would say to me, “Dad, you’ve done so much!” And I’m like, “I haven’t done anything yet!” I still like that. I feel like the 35 years that I’ve had thus far in making records has been a great education, and I’m really about to do something now. That’s how I feel.
I don’t take in all the stuff I’ve done and think, Oh, I’m so good, oh I’ve done this, look at me! I am the absolute opposite. It’s still a part of me, because of how much I hustled as a teenager in the streets. I’m still that teenager trying to get the record deal. There’s a part of me that’s still that kid trying to prove himself. I always feel that the best is yet to come — which is a virtue I learned from my grandfather, who repeatedly said that his entire life. No matter how good things are, the best is yet to come. It always can be better and get better, and you can be better and get better. I’m still the same, but I am taking the time to enjoy these moments because you don’t get these moments back. You get another one, a different one. But you don’t get these moments back.
Even just moments in life — when I was in rehearsal the other day with my band, it was one of those moments in the afternoon where something felt magical. I made everybody stop rehearsing, and we all left the rehearsal room and jumped in the water at the beach. We laid around the water for two hours talking and it was just one of those moments where the sky was the right color, the wind was in the right place, the water was moving a certain way, etc. You got to savor these moments.
Are there any specific values in your career or your life that shine through this particular album?
Exercising and retaining my faith in God and God’s plan for me. Exercising faith, patience, all the things that I learned growing up. If [something is] really yours and meant to be yours, you will have it — that takes faith, you know. All these virtues that I learned growing up – building on a strong foundation, no shortcuts – ring true to this day.
Blue Electric Light marks a follow up to 2018’s Raise Vibration. How do you compare the creative processes for those albums?
[They have] nothing to do with each other. Once I do something, it’s over. I don’t think about it anymore. If you ask me to repeat it, I don’t have the ability. All my albums are in different directions — not only songwriting wise, but production-wise, sonically, etc. Raise Vibration was a wonderful album to make. I had a great time making it here and the same thing with this one. The difference with [Blue Electric Light] was that [it was made] during lockdown.
I was stuck here, which was very interesting. I spent two and a half years here making a lot of music. I felt that this was the first one that needed to come out. All of [my] experiences in making records are equally [satisfying.] They’re all different. This one has probably been the most fun I’ve had in a while, just the spirit around the whole thing. I think that had a lot to do with the world being shut down and, for the first time in my life since being a small child, not having to be somewhere at a certain time.
What does a blue electric light represent?
Energy. God. Love. Humanity. Power. The song just came to me, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. I wrote [the] song “Blue Electric Light,” and after I’d recorded it, my guitarist Craig [Ross,] who plays on several [other] tracks and is also the engineer of the record, said, “You know, that’s the name of the album.” I already picked something else out – I can’t remember what it was – but I went home that night and kept listening to the record with that song now on it. I said, “You’re right, it is [the title.]”
“Stuck in the Middle” really struck me, it’s just such a grand, funky, soulful ballad. Talk to me about how that particular song came together.
Thank you. That’s a good description, it is grand. I went [into the studio, and] the first thing [I] programmed was the drum machine. I knew I wanted it to be drum machine and not acoustic drums. I just knew it felt I wanted it to feel more electronic in the groove.
It all came together when I picked up the bass. I didn’t anticipate the baseline being as funky as it was on top of that sweet ballad. The bass had this sort of late ‘70s, early ‘80s Motown feel, like something that might be on a Diana Ross record. I love the sweetness of the background vocals and the harmonies, and then you’ve got that beautiful, big gospel bridge where I layer myself – I forget how many times – to create that choir. I knew [that I was] in the Bahamas during the pandemic, [so] there’s no gospel choir. I gotta be the gospel choir. I love that track, it’s one of my favorites.
That’s also one of my favorites, as is “Spirit in My Heart,” which really evokes Stevie Wonder melodically and structurally. Tell me a bit about that one.
I dreamt that. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought, Wow, this chord progression is really beautiful. I felt like I was getting somebody else’s mail. It felt like something that I’ve already known and the chord progression was really striking to me. That’s a really special song, because it’s a love letter to God. It’s thanking God and giving [Him] all the due for everything in my life, acknowledging God’s presence in my life.
It starts with, “You’re the one, you hold the key/ That unlocks the remedy/ You gave me life.” I thought it was a very different song for me.
It’s gotta be exciting to still be recording things that feel new and different for you.
It’s nice when you get jarred like that. [With] that song I was like, Whoa, I don’t know that I would come up with those chord changes. So you really appreciate it because it’s something you didn’t expect to do. I’m continually surprised.
The concept of genre has dominated cultural discourse this year, what do you make of all that as an artist who has been tackling these conversations for decades now?
That’s what I was dealing with coming up. They all want you in that box that they think you belong in. Music has no boundaries. Music is for everyone. I don’t care what you are. You want to make the music that you feel, that’s what you should do. If you’re Korean and you want to sing Appalachian Blues music, well, that’s what you feel. Go on and do it.
But we have to also know our history, and know where it comes from and how it was invented. You have to pay respect to that also. When I was coming up, I remember young Black kids coming up to me and saying, How come you make that white music? I’m like, What do you mean? And they’re like, Yeah, you make that rock’n’roll with the loud guitars.
Okay, hold on. Let’s talk about where it comes from. Have you heard of Chuck Berry? Have you heard of Little Richard? Have you heard of Bo Diddley? Have you heard of Big Mama Thornton? Have you heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe? Have you heard of Fats Domino? Let me explain to you where this comes from.
In the respect of rock’n’roll, it is our music. It’s for everybody and everybody is open to use it, but let’s not throw away the history of where it comes from. In the case of Beyoncé and this country story we got going on now, I remember my grandmother telling me as a kid — she grew up in rural Georgia – about how country music came from Black music. It’s a matter of education and retaining our history. Don’t take it and say we didn’t invent it, or we weren’t in its development.
Your fashion and aura are iconic – especially in the ways that you expand the scope of what Black masculinity can look like in those realms. Where do you think you developed your sense of style and cool?
I think [it’s] my love for fashion. I grew up listening to a lot of ‘70s [music,] where people were very flamboyant and had a lot of flair. They used clothing to further embellish their art, their attitude, and their personality. The balance of masculine and feminine was always the best to me, whether it be Jimi Hendrix or Sly Stone or Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, or the men that would wear men’s [and] women’s garments [and] mix things. I was into that.
Then, I had a mother who was just fierce. All her friends — my godmothers, Cicely Tyson and Diahann Carroll – were all about their art, but also all about that fashion. I [also] used to play in my mom’s closet. She’d leave the house and I’d go in her closet and start throwing stuff on — belts and scarves and boots. If you look at my [elementary school] class pictures, you’ll see I’m wearing the big collar and poofy sleeves and my mom’s necklace. She used to wear this peace sign necklace that I would take it and I’d borrow some of her bracelets [too.] I’m like, Damn, I was doing that s—t in the first grade! That’s just who I was. It’s really weird. I kind of forgot, but I felt that stuff as a child.
Denzel Washington gave a very heartfelt and moving speech in your honor at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. What’s the impact of that brotherhood been in your life as a public figure?
Man, it’s so important, and you never know who’s going to end up being your brother. We met in the early ‘90s and slowly kept building a relationship based on brotherhood and love and honesty and faithfulness. We are as close as you could be.
Being that it was a public event and he spoke about me, I know he feels a certain way about me, but to hear him vocalize it was really moving. When he said, “I love Lenny Kravitz. I love Lenny Kravitz. I love Lenny Kravitz,” he said that three times, that hit me hard. I felt what those beats were. [He’s] not just saying something. He said he loved me like he never loved a brother. It was really heavy and beautiful for me, but that’s the relationship we have. As different as people might view us, in essence of what our makeup is and what’s inside of us and how we view and live life, we’re very similar. We are cut from the same cloth. I am honored and blessed to have that relationship in my life. We talk almost every day and we inspire each other.
The other thing is, that’s my boy, right? Anytime a Denzel Washington movie comes on, I’ll watch it. On the tour bus, the hotel, wherever you are. As close as we are, when I see him work, I don’t see the guy I know. He’s so f—king brilliant. I admire him greatly, and our families are also intertwined. I couldn’t thank God enough for creating this in my life. I can’t say enough good things about the man.
Ten years after its conception, the Bottle Rock festival in Napa Valley, California, will have a sister in 2024. Its name is La Onda, a new annual event focused entirely on the Latino audience.
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On June 1 and 2, with a multigenerational lineup headlined by Maná, Fuerza Regida, Alejandro Fernández y Junior H, attendees will enjoy two days of music, food and celebration from another cultural perspective: the Mexican culture.
Until now, Northern California, despite its growing Latino population, did not have an event of this type and magnitude, which is why the company Latitude 38 Entertainment took on the task of planning and developing a new challenge with the same proven foundations of the Bottle Rock festival.
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“As promoters [of Bottle Rock] we are celebrating 10 years,” says Dave Graham, CEO of Latitude 38 Entertainment, to Billboard Español. “In the beginning, like everything, we didn’t know what was going to happen when we started with the company. However, everything has turned out better than we could have thought, wished, or expected. Now we are ready to do something for our Latino community.”
The eclectic lineup of La Onda by BottleRock, which will offer pop, rock, cumbia and regional Mexican on three stages, also includes Farruko, Eslabon Armado, Mon Laferte, Los Ángeles Azules, and many others. (For more details, click here). Maná, in fact, is also headlining Bottle Rock, which will be held just a week earlier, from May 24 to 26.
Both festivals are already sold out, and Graham said they expect a total of 150,000 people for the three days of Bottle Rock and 70,000 for the two of La Onda.
Below, Graham answers questions about the planning, production deployment, the challenge of holding both festivals with just a few days apart, and the expectations for La Onda’s first edition.
Why did you decide to create a Latin music festival?
It’s very important for us. We have been thinking about doing this for a long time. The percentage of Latinos who go to Bottle Rock is 14%, and every year they had been asking us to do one.
Was there a need for such an event in the area?
If you live in Northern California, to go to a festival you have to travel to Tijuana, Rosarito, Los Angeles, or even Las Vegas. Moreover, the population here in Napa is 40% Latino, mostly Mexicans, and the rest of the Bay Area is 30% [Hispanic], so it’s time to celebrate Latin music, Latin food, and that culture in general.
Why the name La Onda?
Most of the people who will come to La Onda are Mexicans, and although everyone in Latin America knows what “onda” means, it is more identified with Mexicans. Everyone has their own meaning for the word “onda,” but in the end, it has to do with movement, with something fun, and ultimately when we got to that point there was no discussion about what we wanted to convey.
How long did the planning for this first edition take?
We have been working on this first edition for two years, and we estimate it will take 14 months to plan each festival in terms of logistics.
Is the production deployment the same for both festivals?
The production is exactly the same, but the design is totally different. So we will have to change everything from Bottle Rock for La Onda between the Monday after and Thursday, that is, in just four days.
Why was it decided to hold them so close together?
Because the Latino community deserves a high-level production, and if we had decided to do it later, it would not have been possible to have the infrastructure and the type of production that we have for Bottle Rock at La Onda.
Why is Maná a headlining act at both Bottle Rock and La Onda?
There are many people who go to Bottle Rock and who want to see more Latin bands. We have had Juanes, Santana, Rodrigo y Gabriela and Los Lobos. When we talk about Maná, it fits perfectly with the idea we have that the festivals be multigenerational.
The lineup of La Onda brings together artists from various music genres. How were the acts of this first edition chosen?
Again, it has to do with having a multigenerational event. For example, I wanted my son who loves Fuerza Regida to be able to go and, in five minutes walking, to go see Maná. That means, we can go together. That’s what we want: To attract young people and also adults.
I have had to ask for help from experts, but I am learning. I still have a lot to learn about music in Spanish, but I’m working hard on it. Every year we will improve the lineup and give the people what they ask for.
At a fan meet in Fresno, Jay Wheeler was moved by a story of a girl who shared that his music had prevented her from ending her life. This heart-wrenching testimony and others helped inform Música Buena Para Días Malos, his seventh studio album. “The fact that my music is doing that, that’s my grand prize,” he told Billboard Español.
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With 13 tracks exploring themes from love (“14 15 de febrero”) and regret (“Admítelo”) to empowerment (“Maquillaje” ft. Noreh) and self-discovery (“Historia”), the singer’s album acts as a sonic refuge, the singer’s album acts as a sonic refuge, dancefloor-ready in some parts and offering solace and inspiration in others. He extends this therapeutic ethos to his merch, with a sci-fi twist: the aim is to parallel the auditory comfort his music provides with tangible memorabilia from hoodies to t-shirts, stickers and trucker hats.
During a conversation on Billboard TalkShopLive, the Puerto Rican star discussed how he wants to provide a “safe place” for his listeners through his music, his upcoming U.S. TRAPPii tour which kicks off on June 13 at the Madison Square Garden and more. Here are five key takeaways from our discussion with Jay Wheeler, in his own words.
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His music helped save someone’s life
When I was in Fresno, I was gonna be taking pictures with [fans]. This girl came [up] and she was crying and crying. I asked her what happened, and she said that she was gonna commit, you know, and she heard my music on the radio and stopped. Everybody [that was there] stopped to hear her story. I wanted to make that moment special for her. We hugged her and gave her merch. We took a whole bunch of pictures and I know for a fact that she went home happy.
Visually [with my merch and videos], I want you to feel the same way as you’re hearing it. The way I feel when I hear my music is like I’m going to a different world, where my spirit just left my body. This therapy is helping me just to forget the world, forget the problems, and just listen to that good music. That’s why my album is called Good Music for Bad Days [Música Buena Para Días Malos], because that’s all I was trying to focus on, making people feel like they can have a place to escape, or a safe place like music.
Bad Bunny impacted his career
I don’t want to sound like I’m fanboying but I do love Bad Bunny. I love how he merchandises his brand and how he [navigates] the music industry, because he’s very different. I think he opened the door for different people. As soon as he came out, trap [blew up]. 2016 was the era of trap, then Bad Bunny stepped away [from the genre] for a couple of months. Then he came back with something different, “Estamos Bien” and “Si Estuviésemos Juntos,” and sad songs.
I think he opened the door for me — because as soon as he started doing that, I started [rising]. I was already making romantic music, but nobody was listening to it, because trap was the main focus. But as soon as he did [more vulnerable songs], he opened up that door. People started to look at my work. He showed the world that being different is not bad.
Faith, Loyalty and working with DJ Nelson
It’s complicated being a new artist. Everyone sees you as a dollar sign, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing… The people who want to sign you don’t know you; they know the product you are offering. If they want to sign you to make more money with you, it means your product is doing good. At the same time, you have to be very careful, because not everyone has good intentions; some people are just trying to take all the money. Trying to see what type of [contract] we were going to sign was very difficult, because almost every single person wanted me and not my team.
I am a very loyal person — I did not want to let go of my team. And then I met DJ Nelson in his studio. I went with my team and I told him, “This is my team, I don’t want to leave them.” He told me, “If you had come without your team, I wouldn’t have signed you.” So I was like, okay, this is the place. Besides that, I also had asked God, “Father, I want to sign where you are.” And the first thing [DJ Nelson] told me was, “my children are Christians,” so I was like, “This is the way.”
How he overcomes fear for future ambitions
Every time I do these types of tours, the only thing that makes me a little bit nervous or stress — not even the shows — is the traveling. I’m scared of airplanes. Really. I’ve been traveling my whole life. That’s the only part that gets me a little bit stressed out. Mentally, I try to prepare myself. Every time I have to make those sacrifices, I think about my future kids. I’d be like, “You know what, I gotta do it for my future family and the future.” Eventually, I want to have a whole bunch of kids. My wife wants two, but I’m trying to convince her to have more.
He loves performing with his wife Zhamira Zambrano
If I had to choose one [song I enjoy performing live], I would probably say “Dícelo,” with my wife. The fact that people love a song that I have with my wife is beautiful. Sometimes you can do songs with the person that you love, and it probably doesn’t go that well. But every time that song is [performed], people go crazy, people go absolutely wild. Sometimes what people do a lot of songs and then eventually get a hit. It’s funny because the first time we collaborated on a song, it became a hit. People loved it.
She’s an artist too. She’s doing a whole tour on her own. We try to be together everywhere we go, as long as I can and she can. I admire her and I always support her no matter where I am.
Mexican group Reik returned to their pop roots with Panorama, a 13-track album that honors their past while exploring more avant-garde compositions. It’s their first LP since 2009’s Ahora, but that album was mainly comprised of past hits with only a few new tracks.
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Released on May 10 under Sony Music Mexico, Panorama includes the previously debuted singles “Baja California,” “Abril,” “Gracias por Nada,” and “El Correcto” featuring Carin León, in addition to “Roomies,” “Te Odio,” “Vámonos a Mi Casa” with LAGOS, the album’s focus track “No Molestar” and its title track.
“I would say that we haven’t made an album like this since Des/Amor [in 2016], so it was super special. We genuinely felt like we had lost the muscle memory of how to make albums and how to work on them and release them,” says Reik’s vocalist, Jesús Navarro, to Billboard Español. “The first few weeks have been super overwhelming because at least I didn’t remember how much work it takes to try to release an album, but also promote it, add the finishing touches, and at the same time plan the tour, the music videos, the release, the promo… and it’s something we’ve done a thousand times before, just not all of them together in about 10 years.”
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After spending several years experimenting with Latin urban sounds, Reik, which also includes guitarists Julio Ramírez and Bibi Marín, teamed up with the MiSHNRZ, a duo of producers made up of Ismael Cano Jr. and Matthew Rey. “We put a lot of heart and also a lot of thought into it. We didn’t want to settle,” Ramírez says. “We really wanted to make this a very unique album.”
“I think it was very automatic,” adds Marín about their reunion to create a whole new album. “I think when it’s time to do something, you just do it… The gears of the machine were always well adjusted. Right now, we are very excited that everything is going, that we are in this new stage and we are happy.”
Reik spoke with Billboard Español on Thursday (May 16) from Houston, where they gave a concert as part of their Panorama 2024 U.S. Tour. Presented by Loud and Live, the 25-date tour began on May 11 in Orlando, Florida, and ends on June 10 in Seattle. (For more details, click here).
Below, Reik breaks down five essential songs from their album Panorama.
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“No Molestar”
Julio Ramírez: Now that I think about it, that was the easiest, oddly enough. It was super cool when this song was made, because the truth is that the album was mostly formed — I think we already had about nine songs or 10 — and we always wanted to keep everything in line with pop, to reclaim our sound… but change it a little so that it doesn’t seem like it’s the same from tracks 1 to 13.
And when “No Molestar” starts, wow! It happened that I was on the computer trying out sounds from the MiSHNRZ’s producer Ish (Ismael), and suddenly I said “That’s it!” They were the chords of the chorus, I remember. “TA ta ta.” So we immediately started humming the chorus and then we were like, “You know what? Let’s make a verse!” And we went to the first chords and we all got excited. For us it was a bit of a Bruno Mars vibe in the studio. We finished the lyrics and there is a video of everyone dancing, jumping, having an incredible time.
That feeling made us go like, “Wow, we got something special.” We always get emotional in the studio, but that song made us very emotional. And I love that we dared to include a super out-of-nowhere, French-ish arrangement at the end of the song; The Beatles’ “Michelle” was the inspiration. It was a treat for us, too.
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“Panorama”
Bibi Marín: “Panorama” was, according to me, the first song that came out of this new stage, of these new experiments that we were doing. And when I say experiments, I mean that it was a very consciously decisive moment, where we started looking for the new pop sound for Reik. It was already very clear to us that we didn’t want to continue experimenting with urban… so we said, “OK, pop, but how?” Because we don’t want to sound like we’re going to release an album that could well have come out in 2004 or 2005.
So it was the first time we got together with the MiSHNRZ, who wrote almost the entire album, produced almost the entire album, in short. We got together and the first experiment that came out was “Panorama” — so for everyone, it was very refreshing and very inspiring. It was a new, fresh sound, it was somewhat challenging, but at the same time it made us feel that we were going in a very good direction. Even though it was a somewhat “rare” song for Reik, it was still a very pop sound. So much so that it even gave the album its title, and it marked a little bit the direction in which we began to move musically.
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“Ojos Papel” (feat. Leo Rizzi)
Jesús Navarro: “Ojos papel” is a super special song to me. I believe Leo is one of the most special singers that we’ve heard in the new music scene in Spanish, and we are very aware of his existence. We had already made a track together on one of his albums — but it was a little strange because we were just out of the pandemic, and it was still difficult to travel, so we made this track and released it without having ever met in person. We just met at the [2023] Latin Grammys in Seville and we gave each other a very long hug, with a lot of emotion.
Only recently, when he was in Mexico City a few months ago, we got together to write with him, and this wonderful song came out. I think Julio hit the mark at the beginning of the session when he spoke with the entire team and they sort of agreed to let Leo take the lead in the session a little, so that we could get a song that was ours, but at the same time not characteristic, not what you would expect. I think the goal was achieved.
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“Roomies”
Bibi Marín: I’m going to say “Roomies,” because apart from the fact that it’s a song that I love, I think it’s the song that pays the most tribute and reference to our origins in two senses: One, musically, in terms that it is a super light, good-vibe pop song; [and two] like literally at the end of the song, the outro is the introduction of “Qué Vida la Mía” [from 2005]. The idea not only of the song, but of the entire album and of this stage, is yes, to make the statement that we are returning to our roots — to a super-pop pop — and what better way than using a little piece of one of our first songs. I think this song covers a lot of space there.
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“Baja California”
Julio Ramírez: “Baja California” is a spectacular song to me. It became so important that we opened the album with that song, and we also open the Panorama Tour show with that song. We find the video spectacular. It was really nice to go back to where we grew up, to make the video with Ry [Shorosky], who is a really impressive director from Utah. It turned out beautiful, the vibe is incredible. And I think it was super cool to make this track — I’m going to talk about it on an author’s level — trying to make a pop that’s much cooler, much more daring.
I mean, in my eyes, the approach was how we would sound with a kind of The Weeknd or Harry Styles vibe, but with our own handwriting — and “Baja California” came out. I don’t know, I love that song, I love that we’re mentioning Baja, we’re mentioning Rosarito, but putting it in the context of a love story. I think it’s super cool. I hope people like it. It sets the mood for the whole album.
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Your biggest haters are often your biggest fans, and few people know that better than Lay Bankz.
At just 19 years old, the Philly native is part of a generation that’s acutely aware of how they are perceived. Thanks to social media, they hear – and sometimes internalize – every last compliment and piece of criticism. But it takes an artist like Lay Bankz to harness the beast that is the Internet, and transform it into a self-promotional tool to fully realize her childhood dreams.
“I’ve always known this is what I wanted to do since I was a baby, and everybody around me can vouch for that,” she says over Zoom. “I’ve been doing this my whole life. This is nothing new. I played the violin, I played piano, I was in orchestra, I was in vocal [lessons], I did musical theater, I took poem classes and I learned how to write poems and write raps. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.”
Before the sugary ‘00s-indebted “Tell Ur Girlfriend” conquered TikTok and became her first Billboard Hot 100 entry (No. 58), Bankz’s “Ick” took the Internet by storm – for better and for worse. Despite vocal critics deriding the lyrics and sound, as well as her hip-rocking Jersey club-inspired dance moves in the accompanying music video, “Ick” became the soundtrack to over 200,000 TikToks, reaching No. 8 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 and earning 73.1 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate.
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“Ick” followed a string of smaller regional hits that flaunted Bankz’s versatility, and its success even landed her a surprise performance at Houston rapper Monaleo’s 2023 tour, during which the headliner brought out Bankz alongside fellow ascendant female rappers Cleotrapa, Maiya the Don and Connie Diiamond to perform their respective hits during her Brooklyn stop. Bankz’s performance of “Ick” was electrifying; if people weren’t convinced of her star power before, her seemingly effortless balance in spitting verses and executing full-body choreography certainly changed their minds.
A gifted rapper and singer, Bankz’s growing catalog pulls from myriad genres and influences, but R&B and hip-hop — by way of ‘00s heavyweights like Beyoncé, Ye (fka Kanye West) and Brandy – reign supreme. Those influences shine through on “Tell Ur Girlfriend,” which leveraged its Timbaland-nodding production to success beyond TikTok, landing on additional Billboard rankings such as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 17), R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs (No. 10) and Hot Rap Songs (No. 14). “Girlfriend” has logged 53.4 million on-demand official U.S. streams since its Feb. 7 release.
Between her live performance abilities, her ear for melody, her innate understanding of how to most effectively use the Internet and a support system in Artist Placement Group (APG) and manager Kenney Blake – whom she connected with after he challenged her to sing on the spot in front of a crowded barbershop — Bankz has collected practically every infinity stone necessary to ensure that she’s “here for a good time and a long time.”
Billboard spoke with May’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month about her “messy” relationship with music, putting on for the Eritrean girlies, and her favorite songs from the Kendrick Lamar–Drake beef.
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Walk me through how you created “Tell Ur Girlfriend.”
I make songs based off of real-life experiences and “Tell Ur Girlfriend” is truthfully something that I went through. At the time, I knew what I was going through, but I didn’t have a song for it, and I feel like I have a song for everything at this point. Well, at least I’ve made a song for everything. I walked in the studio with Johnny Goldstein and Ink – a dope producer and a dope writer — and I told both of them, “Yo, I had this idea!” Johnny played me the chords for “Tell Your Girlfriend,” but there weren’t any drums.
I’m like, “I want to talk about how I’m feeling right now, and I basically sat there with Ink and Johnny for two hours before we made the song and I broke down the situation that I was going through. We were sitting there like, Alright bet like this is what we’re going to talk about.
I got on the mic, freestyled some melodies, came up with some things that I liked and then [Ink] helped me write some lyrics and piece together the hook. I freestyled verses, so I just went in and said how I felt. I actually had to re-record [the song] from the first time I recorded it because I felt like some things needed to be changed to make it a little more truthful. It was probably a two-week process to get this song where I really wanted it to be, but I actually recorded [it] two months before I dropped it.
Do you ever feel nervous or scared to get that personal on the mic?
Not really, because I feel like music is an outlet for conversation, and it’s also a way for me to express myself when I feel like I can’t. Getting on the mic and saying how I feel is never the hard part. Saying how I feel on a regular basis without the microphone is where it be hard for me.
So far, “Tell Ur Girlfriend” has peaked at No. 58 on the Hot 100. Congratulations! What does an achievement like that mean to you?
Honestly, it’s a blessing and it feels like a dream. I’ve been working! Me and my manager met each other five years ago and I signed my deal two years ago — we just been working really hard. I prayed for this and everything that’s happening for me. It don’t feel too unrealistic or surreal, because when you work towards something your whole life — I’ve been singing since I was 3 — and then it starts happening, you don’t really realize it’s happening until the big moment. I feel like I’m having so many big moments and every time I think I got my biggest moment, I always get that new big moment.
You really do tend to eclipse your big moments with even bigger ones, even when you were gaining traction online as a personality. How do you think you’ve used the Internet to your advantage?
I think the Internet is a playground, and it makes everything easier to market yourself if you use it the right way. [It’s] a gift and a curse, because without it, I think we would be back in the old times where star quality was higher — like Michael Jackson star quality, where people faint when they see artists. Stuff like that doesn’t happen anymore, because if someone wants to see you, they could just see you on their cell phones. And there’s beauty in that. There’s also a downside to it, but it’s really been the easiest way [for me] to promote myself. I control my social media narrative, and nobody could convince me otherwise.
Has your relationship with the Internet evolved in light of your recent success?
Honestly, I don’t find it stressful now. I think when I first started, it was more stressful, because I wasn’t used to all the attention and people commenting on my everyday life, how I look, how I dress and what I do. Then again, I’m from Philly, so people judge you by everything and that’s just how we are here. I got a tougher skin.
The Internet really can’t get to me, because at the end of the day, don’t none of these people know me in real life. All y’all doing is streaming my music and that’s helping me. I learned that [by] being yourself unapologetically, you’re going to be more happy than trying to please a bunch of people on the Internet who don’t know you anyway.
You mentioned growing up in Philly, which, of course, has its own lit music scene. What are your earliest musical memories of your hometown and what from Philly do you want to carry with you throughout your career?
My earliest memory of music is probably being in the car with my mom on our way to daycare. We would listen to albums on top of albums early in the morning because she worked outside of the city. She wanted me to go to this really good daycare, so we used to drive 45 minutes outside the city every morning. I remember her playing a bunch of Beyoncé, and that’s one of the reasons why Beyoncé is one of my favorites. We listened to Keyshia Cole a lot, Sevyn Streeter, a lot of what was popping in the early 2000s.
What I want to take with me from the music scene from Philly is that authenticity, never losing sight of who I truly am. Everybody from Philly is truly unique, and I think growing up in such a nitty-gritty city, if you’re not yourself, they’ll knock you down for not being yourself and they gon’ try and say you trying to be like somebody else. I’d die before I try to be like anybody else and I mean it.
You’re also putting on for the Eritrean girlies. What does it mean to you to be able to pursue your dreams to this extent, while still honoring all the different parts of your identity?
I think it’s amazing because there’s not that many of us — Habesha, Eritrean, Ethiopian people – in the industry. Putting on for Eritrea and letting people know, Hey, this is a country! This is where I’m from, what I grew up eating, what I grew up learning, this is my second language, this is a part of me.
That’s super important to me — because I got family in Eritrea that watch me on their phones, and don’t have half the things that I have, or aren’t as fortunate as a lot of people that I know. I want to let them know that they can do this too, it don’t matter where you’re from, what you look like, or anything. Anybody can do this as long as you believe in yourself!
You signed with APG in 2022. What drew you to them and why did you decide to stay independent?
I felt like [APG] really cared about my artist development. When I first signed, I wasn’t ready. I’m only 19 now, so I still have so much room to grow. When I signed, I just turned 18. Signing with APG was a decision based off of [knowing] that they’ll care about me growing as an artist and not just me coming as what I am. I feel like since I’ve signed, I’ve grown so much from being over there and big shoutout to my manager too because he did his research on APG before he went over there.
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Your big song before “Tell Ur Girlfriend” was “Ick.” Did you learn anything from that song and its success that you brought to the campaign for “Tell Ur Girlfriend?”
When I first posted “Ick,” nobody liked it! I kind of shied away from it because I was like, Wow, nobody likes it — oh s—t, am I doing something wrong? In reality, I’m just being myself. I didn’t let it get to me, so I’m like, All right, I’m still going to promote, I’m just not going to feed into it. But when I start looking at the bigger picture, I [decided to] start replying to hate comments with videos of myself. When I started doing that, I started controlling the narrative. Whether y’all like me, hate me or whatever, y’all still listening to it.
“Tell Ur Girlfriend” was the same thing. When the song really started blowing up, everybody was making comments like, “Oh, we can’t condone cheating songs.” I’m like, “Whatever, y’all listen to Keyshia Cole’s ‘I Should’ve Cheated’ and y’all listen to ‘Break Up With Your Girlfriend’ by Ariana Grande.” Music is a form of expression. There are people who felt exactly what I said in the song and they’re just afraid to say it. I’m not afraid to say those things. Once I really leaned into not being afraid to say what it is that I felt and stand on it, I think that’s when it really changed for me.
What is it about your relationship with music that gives you that kind of fearlessness to say what you want to say?
Music is my first love. I’ll be mad and I’ll be like, oh my God, I don’t want to do this no more, but, in reality, I wouldn’t want to be anything else. I wouldn’t be happy doing anything else. When I cry, I could cry in the booth and cry on the song. When I’m in love, I can be so in love and make a love song so beautiful that every time I listen to the song, I feel the embodiment of that emotion, just from my lyrics. I think that’s powerful. My relationship with music is intricate and it’s messy, but it’s my first love. Music is always going to be that.
What’s the messiest thing about your relationship with music?
I think that it’s not perfect, but nothing is perfect. And I’m not perfect. Sometimes, I might get writer’s block, or I might be so hurt and so mad that I make a song and it feels so good because I’m letting my emotions out… but then I can’t never listen to the song again because it might hurt me too much to listen [it]. At this point, throughout the five years of me making music, I have over 10,000 songs, and all of them are unique and mean something to me. I don’t know what I’m going to wake up and want to talk about. I don’t know [how] I’m going to wake up and feel tomorrow or how I’m going to go in the booth. It’s messy because it’s all over the place.
Was there a particular song or moment that confirmed that music is what you wanted to do with your life?
I think I just keep having moments [and] that’s the difference between the elevator and the steps. The elevator, you get on and it takes you to the next floor. It’s no journey. You’re just going straight up. And when you go straight up, you will come straight back down. I feel like I’m taking the stairs and every time I step on a new stair, and I get to the next floor, I’m getting to another milestone and entering another era of my career and life. You don’t know that your life is changing until it is changing.
“Na Na Na” was the moment. Before “Na Na Na,” I had “Left Cheek,” and before “Left Cheek” I had “Boyfriend N. 2,” and before that I had “Cmonnn” and even before that I had songs that were lit in the city. I’m having moment after moment, because I’m taking the stairs. The stairs don’t mean nothing but longevity to me.
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When it comes to making music, shooting music videos and crafting your live show, who are your biggest influences?
I have to say Beyoncé, 1000%. I love Beyoncé, just from growing up and seeing her artist development from Destiny’s Child to now. I went to the Renaissance Tour, and it was amazing. I literally could not believe it. I was so astonished. I just love Beyoncé! Everything about how she performs and how she gets on the stage is so captivating when you see her. You can’t look at anything else and she makes you believe what she’s saying. You believe how she’s performing and how she’s dancing. That’s really what inspired me to be the performer I am. I’m still growing and I’m still learning, but if I’m going to be like anybody, it’s gon’ be like her.
As an MC, I gotta ask you this, who you got in this Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle?
Ohh man. Both of them are really OGs in the game. I really don’t have a pick. I think both of them are really amazing rappers and I love both of their music. I listen to Drake faithfully, and Kendrick got some hits that I really f—k with. I’m not going to say, Oh, such and such is killing such, because I feel like they both throwing some crazy s—t out there. I f—k with both of them.
True. Which track have you liked the most out of all the ones that we’ve gotten?
[Sings, “Drop and give me fiftyyyy” from Drake’s “Push Ups.”] S—t was crazy! [Laughs.] “Euphoria” was crazy too, so it’s kinda hard to pick. But off rip, Imma say that jawn, [“Push Ups.”]
So what’s next for Lay Bankz? When can we expect your next project?
My project will actually be coming out in a few weeks at the end of May. It’s raw and it’s me and it’s uncut. Versus my first project, Now You See Me, I feel like this project is way more innovative. I really sat down and thought about how I wanted my project to sound and how I wanted it to feel. I got the most raw, uncut version of After Seven – that’s the title of my project. This is going to be the project where people really have open ears, and I’m standing on that. People going to really listen to this jawn, and I’m believing in that.
What’s one thing you want to have five years from now?
I want to be able to put the people that I love in a better situation. I think I got a lot of people that rely on and expect a lot from and out of me. Without my people, I’m nothing. I just want to make sure that in the next five years, whether I’m giving them a job or I’m buying a car or a house, it’s all for the people who helped get me where I’m at today.
“Hey, huh, baow.” If that idiosyncratic synthesis of scatting and the Milwaukee lowend style isn’t already on loop in your head, it certainly will be by the time the summer of 2024 comes to a close.
Taken from the ridiculously catchy hook in “Bad Bitty,” the rump-shaking breakout single from rising Milwaukee rapper J.P., those onomatopoeias are emblematic of both the 19-year-old’s laid-back approach to music making and the storied history of vocal performance that informs his singing-rapping style.
Earlier this spring (March 20), Billboard highlighted “Bad Bitty” in our weekly “Trending Up” column, which takes a look at songs that are on the verge of truly exploding. Predictably, the love for “Bad Bitty” quickly surpassed flash-in-the-pan TikTok status, with the danceable track collecting over 21 million official on-demand U.S. streams through May 2, according to Luminate, and spending six weeks on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, peaking at No. 27. Not only did the song’s viral success significantly broaden J.P.’s audience, he also proved to himself that he was capable of making another hit on his own.
Trending on Billboard
In 2022, J.P. had a smaller viral moment with “Juicey Ahhh,” another lowend-rooted track that has pulled over 3.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams through May 2. For J.P., born Josiah Gillie, the sound and success of his songs reflect the way he moves based on feeling.
“I don’t write any of my music, it’s more of a feeling-type thing,” he tells Billboard. “Whatever songs you hear from me, if it makes you feel some type of way, you can automatically put two and two together, and that’s how I was feeling when I made the song.”
One thing about J.P. — who’s also balancing a student-athlete career (he’s a power forward for the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point Pointers) with completing his musical performance major (with a vocal emphasis) — he’s always having fun. Just check out the countless TikToks he makes, leaning into his innate goofiness while still selflessly promoting his music at every turn. His effervescent records are undoubtedly party tracks, but his unique blend of soulful jazz, gospel-informed vocals and Milwaukee’s high-octane bass-heavy style have resulted in a sound that is on the fast track to dominate the summer and shine a more national spotlight on Cream City’s long-bubbling rap scene.
In a lively conversation with Billboard, J.P. opens up about his favorite “turnt” church songs, remaining self-made and independent, and his plans beyond “Bad Bitty.”
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Where are you right now? How’s the day going?
I’m doing good. I just arrived at my hotel in LA, I’m walking into my hotel right now. I have a meeting with the CEO of Warner Records and [I’m gonna] go see PinkPantheress.
We’re basically one month away from this being the summer of “Bad Bitty.” How has it been for you watching this song grow so quickly over the past few weeks?
I really been locking in on stamping myself and stamping the moment, and making sure that it’s not just a viral song that just dies down in the next two months. [I want to make] it a household song and put more of a character out there – well, not the character, because it’s actually me. People are starting to actually fall in love with the person behind the music and not just the song “Bad Bitty.”
[Over] the past few weeks, there’s been a lot of ups and a lot of good things going on. I’m just extremely grateful and humble to go through this and figure it out as we go.
Where did you cut “Bad Bitty?”
“Bad Bitty” wasn’t created in the studio. I made “Bad Bitty” on my phone and headphones… just like all the rest of my other music. It’s an app called BandLab, so I did that in the dorm room by myself. There wasn’t anybody in the room. My brother [Myles Gillie], who’s also my manager, was in the other room. Recently, I’ve moved to the studio.
Talk to me a bit about the Milwaukee lowend sound. How would you describe that style to those unfamiliar with it?
Milwaukee lowend, man, it’s definitely something different, but it makes you want to move. You got the fast taps and the fast hits that’s coming your way, so it has this bouncy feeling that makes you want to move in some type of way. I took [that sound] and I added myself to it and created a whole new genre of music because it’s not like regular lowend rap. I put it in there because I’ve always been a singer, but everybody doesn’t really want to hear that off the rip. There are plenty of R&B artists, so if you’re not Chris Brown or Usher, people don’t really want to hear you right now. I just took the R&B and I brought it to the lowend. It just created a contagious feeling, and now we’re here.
Where do you hope the lowend sound goes from here? Do you plan to continue using it in your own music?
Lowend music is more or less about rapping about driving fast cars and stealing cars and things of that nature. That’s not really my jig, I don’t do that. First of all, I’m big as a b—h, I’m the first target! So, stealing cars was never really my thing. So, I just took it and flipped it. I just kept the beat-type s—t. If there’s anything lowend about my music, it’s the beat.
As far as how I’m delivering the music, that has nothing to do with lowend at all. That’s just me. It’s my style on the lowend beat, and anybody from Milwaukee would say the same.
There’s a lot of momentum in the Milwaukee rap scene right now. How is the scene to working together to put each other on? What does that community look like?
The community is great right now. In every city there’s a lot of hate, there’s a lot love, but the city is the city, and there’s a lot more love than hate. The artists that are blowing up from the city, it’s well-deserved for them.
It’s just a testament [to the fact] that there’s actually talent in Milwaukee, because the artists that blow up are all different. They all have different sounds. They rap about different things, but they’re all from Milwaukee. You won’t turn on Chicken P and turn on one of my songs and hear a correlation, but we’re both from Milwaukee.
Have you ever felt like Milwaukee has a kind of underdog status in comparison to other scenes across the country?
One thing that I love to see out there [in New York] and that I notice about them is [that] they all show love to whoever got the hot hand. Regardless if you from Queens, the Bronx, uptown, it don’t matter. If you got the hot hand, they gonna get behind you — because at the end of the day, you’re New York.
In Milwaukee, it’s not like that all the way. It’s like a crab-in-a-barrel city. Everybody don’t want to see you win. Some of them wanna say, ‘Oh yeah, he got there, but he messed up.’ Like I said, every city has that. And Milwaukee isn’t like a New York City, where there’s so many people you can get damn near the whole nation behind you.
It’s already a small city, and you would think that by being a small city that everybody would come together, but it’s not like that all the time. But it’s okay, because the lovers and the haters will get you there.
When and how did you settle on your stage name?
My real name is Josiah. My nickname for Josiah is Jody. In Milwaukee, it’s popular to add the letter P to the end of your name — because it’s like a Milwaukee thing. This was way before all that “Pushin P” s—t. Even if you look at some of the artists from Milwaukee, like Chicken P, Myaap, etc. “P” is like “player,” but everybody player, so everybody just adds P to the end of their name.
My name was always Jody P as far as [an] artist name, but I decided to shorten it up and just put J.P. because it was a little easier. It had more of a lil ring to it.
You’re currently in college majoring in music. Why did you choose that major? What are your earliest musical memories?
I don’t have a crazy musical background, but I’ve always been a musical child. I always thought it was normal for me, but apparently, it isn’t normal for everybody. Things that had to do with music, I always caught on to. It was always very easy for me to do. I’m real good at looking at something and listening to it and mimicking it all the way down to where it’s in my arsenal. When I went to college, I knew I didn’t want to stop singing, so I’m like, Okay, I’m gonna audition for the voice area music. I went and auditioned and I made it.
I accidentally auditioned for the vocal jazz scholarship; I was thinking it was a part of the actual music area audition. I ended up doing that too, and I got a vocal jazz scholarship. That was kinda my deal.
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Who do you remember listening to growing up around the house?
I grew up and spent a lot of time around my grandmama. As a baby, I used to watch a lot of musicals. I was watching a lot of Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz. That flowed over into artists like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Luther Vandross, Quincy Jones, all of those people. I got my vibrato from listening to [classic pop] singers like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jackie Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald – I don’t know why, but everybody from that era always had hella vibrato. Just listening to [them] over and over and over again, I subconsciously learned how to master vibrato.
I didn’t realize all of that stuff wasn’t normal to have in your arsenal until I got to college. [I saw] a lot of kids that have been doing music their whole life, get into their vocal lessons and struggle to do this or struggle to hold this note or struggle to activate their vibrato. And I’m like, Just do it like this. But I’m in my head like, I’ve been doing this since I was seven.
It’s funny you mention that you grew up with your grandma because a lot of people online clocked that from your mannerisms. Do you embrace having an old soul?
People been saying I have an old soul since I was like five years old, especially the older people. They always welcome me like, You’ve been here before. [Laughs.] It was definitely something I was already used to, and I know I got an old soul, but that’s just how I’m maneuvering and grooving. That’s just me.
What’s your favorite class you’ve taken for your music major so far?
Probably actual vocal lessons with Professor Susan Bender. She just retired my sophomore year, which is this year, but she has an amazing, beautiful voice. I’ve never had vocal lessons, so I auditioned after the basketball season of my freshman year. I didn’t become an actual voice area student until the beginning of my sophomore year. I got to work with her and she was amazing.
You’re also a student-athlete. Have basketball and music always coexisted in your life like this?
I didn’t really start taking basketball serious until my eighth grade year [when I got] added to my first AAU team called Sports Academy. They paid for my jerseys and all that other good stuff. Then my freshman year of high school, when one of my assistant varsity coaches was a part of the Running Rebels, [I joined through] this thing called Be the Change program that was also founded in Milwaukee. That was when I started actually playing and taking basketball serious.
As far as music, I used to always make music, but I’d keep it on my phone. My assistant coach, he was one of the day ones that always had to listen to the bulls—t that I was putting out. I was horrible quality and s—t, but I had just started making music, so he would tell me if that s—t was a—or not to what I needed to fix. So, shoutout to him.
You’re balancing a rising career, athletic commitments, academic commitments, your own personal life, etc. How are you keeping everything together right now?
At this time right now, you definitely learn to lock in and key in to the people that actually are there for you, because now you can’t really be friends with everybody like how you used to be. As much as you want to be, you can’t. You can’t be a regular person no more. You gotta move a little different, because everybody has a hidden agenda now.
I’m praying, man, really keeping myself sane and making sure I’m not letting what’s going on run my life. I’m not letting that control and consume me. The biggest thing right now, is staying completely humble, because that’s what got us here in the face.
You’ve had a couple of viral media clips recently, including a No Jumper appearance, in which the hosts tried to clown you for standing in your truth regarding your past sexual experiences. What’s it like navigating the hip-hop industry considering how historically inhospitable the space has been for those who fall outside of the heterosexual norm?
I’ve never really been the person that cares what anybody else has to say. I personally feel like whatever I got to say is law, so whatever the hell come out of my mouth, if I said it, then that’s what the hell means something. If you heard about something that’s going on, you’re like, That’s some Jody s—t. It’s like Damon from Friday [After Next]. You’re not gonna walk up to Damon and be like, Oh, you gay, cuz. You leave him alone type s—t.
I definitely know that it’s not a normal thing [in hip-hop], but it takes a certain type of individual to embark on this journey the way I do. I know a lot of people, [had they] been in my seat, would have been on suicide watch. Everybody can’t take that, especially at the degree that I’m [getting it.] The whole world got something to say, but it don’t matter — because at the end of the day, nobody with a brain is going to walk up and say something to me about it. And if they do, I’m a young man that knows how to speak and talk through situations. If you need clarity, I can give you clarity, but I really don’t owe you anything. I can give it to you, if that’s what you’re looking for.
You gotta know how to take you on the chin, boss. Why would you want to become a detriment to yourself over something that I did five years ago? That doesn’t make sense. You gonna have the people that be funny, but you gotta know that that it comes with that. You’re gonna have people that’s gonna laugh about you. You’re gonna have people that’s going to repost and say this and say that, but it’s alright, bro. That’s the name of the game.
That lil head-bobbing dance also helped “Bad Bitty” go viral. Where did that come from?
That is something that I actually do, that’s not something that I made-up. If I’m in the club and somebody playing a song that I like, I’m gonna bob my head like that too. What happened was, when I first made the video to that “Bad Bitty,” it was somebody in the comments that was like, “Oh, the head bob is contagious.” So what I did was, I took the comment and made a video to the comment and just did it again.
Once I seen that that was the pickup, I just like took it and ran with it. I’ve been doing that same s—t since I was like nine, in church listening to church music.
Speaking of, what’s your favorite church song?
It all depends on if you trying to be on some calm s—t or if you trying to get turnt!
I’m tryna get turnt, what’s in your praise and worship bag?
Okay so Byron Cage, “The Presence of the Lord is Here,” that s—t crack. “The Blood Still Works,” that s—t gets you going. “I’m Sold Out,” “Great God” by Deitrick Haddon, “Praise Him In Advance” by Marvin Sapp, “Best In Me” by Marvin Sapp, “Listen” by Marvin Sapp, “They That Wait” by Fred Hammond!
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You’ve previously spoken about how some of the vocal elements of “Bad Bitty” are kind of like your version of scatting. Who are your favorite singers when it comes to scatting?
I [don’t] really have a favorite scatter. I just knew it was like thing. I know Ella Fitzgerald is cold at scatting, Lalah Hathaway is a cold ass scatter. That’s damn near all I know, but I know they good at it. [Laughs.]
Are you thinking of signing to a label? Have you gotten any offers yet?
I’m not in a rush to do anything. We have some offers on the table, but I’m not really in a rush. Everything going on with me right now [is] organic. The majority of things that I’ve done all the way up to this point, a lot of labels are paying for their artists to do these things. I did this just off of pure networking and organicness, if that’s the word.
Are there any careers you’d like to emulate?
I don’t think there’s anybody I would like to emulate off the rip, but I do have some inspirations. I think Jay-Z is one of the biggest ones, because I noticed how he kept his group tight-knit and gave them jobs. He could have got the best person in [each] area, but he gave opportunities to the people that was around him and kept his circle tight. Lil Baby keeps a lot of same people around too.
I’ve been hearing whispers of a potential “Bad Bitty” remix or two. What’s up?
I ain’t gonna say too much, but it’s up in the air. It might come two weeks from now, might come tomorrow. It’s definitely gonna be [fire] when [it] do come out. Since we’re all here talking about remixes and who’s gonna be on there, I just want to put out into the universe: If I could get Coi Leray on there, that would be great. Let’s put that out there to the universe tenfold, and hope that comes back.
You can definitely be expecting a project coming towards the end of May or early June, right in that sweet spot of summer. I got music videos on the way. I got another single that’s going to be on the way as well with the music video following up behind that. We moving and grooving. We’re here and we stamping our name.
When was the last time you made a bitty hit her knees?
No comment. You tried to slide that in there smooth! [Laughs.]