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Fresh off announcing his massive Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, Bad Bunny stunned at the 2025 Met Gala on Monday (May 5), where he once again honored his Puerto Rican roots. The Grammy-winning superstar stunned in a chocolate brown Prada suit and a matching pava (straw) hat emblematic of the jíbaro (a Puerto Rican […]
Natanael Cano, leader and creator of the corridos tumbados genre, defied the ban imposed by authorities in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes against narcocorridos on Saturday (May 3). During his performance at the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, he played a couple of songs with explicit references to figures of drug trafficking and glorification of crime. In response, the event organizers lowered the audio volume and turned off the lights, bringing the show to an end.
Videos on social media show the moment Cano responds to the request of some attendees at his concert during the Feria Nacional de San Marcos, who insisted on hearing “Cuerno Azulado,” a controversial song in which the musician talks about organized crime and its alleged ties to Mexican authorities.
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“‘Cuerno (Azulado)’ isn’t something you need to ask me for, my friend. ‘Cuerno’ is something you need to ask your government for. If you want it so badly, do something about it,” the singer responded to the crowd. “With all due respect, we came here to Aguascalientes to sing for you, my friend, and with all due respect to the people who are prohibiting us from singing and showcasing our art, we don’t give a damn. Do something about it yourselves, don’t come asking me for it here”
Natanael Cano’s performance, announced as one of the star acts of the legendary fair that has been held for 197 years, began with a series of corridos and ballads that adhered to the list previously approved by local authorities. However, after midnight, the setlist included “Pacas de Billetes,” a song referencing Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the notorious drug lord who is currently serving a life sentence in the United States following his conviction in 2019.
The musician continued with “El de la Codeína,” a song that references substance trafficking, which led the organizers to lower the sound volume in the venue. In response, the artist’s technical team activated its own audio system so Cano could keep performing. However, after finishing the song, the organizers turned off the lights, and the singer abruptly left the stage without the concert officially concluding.
Billboard Español has reached out to Natanael Cano’s representatives as well as festival organizers and the government of Aguascalientes for comment on what happened Sunday, but has not heard back as of press time.
The incident with Cano comes three weeks after the concert by corridos superstar Luis R. Conriquez at the Feria de Texcoco in the State of Mexico on April 11 ended in chaos when he refused to perform narcocorridos, complying with restrictions imposed by local authorities on expressions that glorify crime in public spaces.
Conriquez revealed in an exclusive interview with Billboard that local authorities had warned him not to perform narcocorridos during his show at the Feria de Texcoco. “They said that if I sang a corrido, they would cut off the sound.”
The local Congress of Aguascalientes on April 16 approved legislation to penalize “the dissemination of content, images and artistic or musical expressions that promote activities related to organized crime.” State authorities have not commented on what happened during Cano’s show.
Aguascalientes is one of 10 states (out of 32) in Mexico that have banned or restricted the dissemination of narcocorridos or expressions that glorify crime. Without a federal law, local governments enforce penalties ranging from hefty fines to up to a year in prison for those who perform music that promotes violence.
Grupo Firme, another of the superstar regional Mexican acts that performed at this year’s Feria de San Marcos, declined to play corridos during its concerts on April 19 and 20, as previously announced by vocalist Eduin Caz in a social media message saying the band was complying with the new restrictions.
Junior H, another leading figure in the corridos tumbados genre, is scheduled to perform at the palenque of the mentioned fair Wednesday (May 7).
The new bans implemented in Mexico have expanded to the United States. In an unprecedented move, the U.S. State Department announced on April 1 the revocation of work and tourist visas for the Mexican corridos group Los Alegres del Barranco after it displayed images of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” during a concert on March 29 at an auditorium at the University of Guadalajara.
After speculation that Bad Bunny would announce a global tour, the Puerto Rican star officially unveiled dates for Latin America, Europe, Australia and Japan. Set to kick off in November in the Dominican Republic, Bad Bunny will tour the world in support of his latest album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. He will wrap this year’s […]
Lali and Duki’s “Plástico” has topped Billboard’s latest new Latin music poll published on Friday, May 2. In support of the weekly New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard‘s Latin and Billboard Español editors, music fans voted for the Argentine artists’ collaboration as their favorite music release of the week. The electro-pop track — powered by a riveting, high-energy beat […]
Hawk-eyed fans spotted Bad Bunny‘s signature white plastic chairs from Debí Tirar Más Fotos in different cities across the world over the weekend (May 3-4), leading many to believe that he’s set to announce a world tour soon.
Although the Puerto Rican superstar has not posted on his socials or officially announced a stint, the chairs were spotted outside of venues and stadiums across Latin America and Europe, including in Peru, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Poland, France, England, Spain and Costa Rica.
It’s not totally surprising that he’d eventually announce a world tour. In fact, he hinted at it earlier this year when he announced his residency at El Choli.
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“Thanks to music and the love you give me through my music, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to sing in different places of the world. I appreciate and love to do it,” Bad Bunny said in January. “There are places I for sure will return to, like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia. And some I’ve never been to but would like to visit, like Brazil and Japan. And there are places I haven’t been to in a long time, like Italy, London, Spain, I know, and I promise before the year ends, I’ll tell you the date and time I will be visiting.”
The tour would follow other Bad Bunny mega tours, including World’s Hottest Tour and, most recently, the Most Wanted Tour. The former set the record in 2022 for the highest grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history, and the latter grossed more than $207.8 million, selling 703,000 tickets across 30 concerts.
Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos was released Jan. 5 on Día de Reyes. The set — which scored the artist his fourth Billboard 200 leader — is a celebration of Puerto Rico and the sonic heritage that has soundtracked the island for generations, including plena and jíbara. Bad Bunny’s unprecedented 30-day residency at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico is set to draw an estimated 250,000 visitors to the island over the summer.
Ivan Cornejo made history the weekend of May 3-4 as the youngest regional Mexican artist to headline the iconic Radio City Music Hall. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter — known for his heartbreaking sierreño ballads — performed two back-to-back sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall over the weekend as part of his 30-date Mirada Tour Parte 2. A second date was added due to overwhelming demand, further cementing his role as a generational voice for Gen Z Latin fans.
At the start of his hour-and-a-half set Sunday night, Cornejo walked onto the stage wearing a rhinestone-encrusted cardigan, his subtle swagger shining through despite fighting off a cold. Holding a cup of tea for much of the evening, he expressed gratitude to his devoted audience: “Thank you for pulling through with me,” he said to roaring cheers.
The energy in the venue was ecstatic, with fans — mostly teenagers and young adults — filling the historic space to sing every lyric at full volume. Excited fans often chanted “Ivan, Ivan, Ivan!” in between songs, and their fervor was met with Cornejo responding, “New York! New York!”
Throughout his tight, 20-song set, Cornejo delivered fan favorites such as “Está Dañado,” “La Última Vez,” “Dónde Estás” and his newest single “Me Prometí,” which was released just three days prior. Each song showcased his ability to tug at the heartstrings with a signature blend of acoustic melodies, riveting electric guitar solos, and soulful vocals. The show ended on a fiery note with Cornejo’s high-energy rendition of “La Curiosidad,” leaving fans on an emotional high.
Meanwhile, dazzling stage lighting incorporated sunsets, shooting stars and a shimmering starry night, perfectly complementing the moody and emotive tone of his music throughout the night.
While the genre has seen legends such as Vicente Fernández headline Radio City nearly 30 years ago in 1995, such appearances have been rare for regional Mexican artists in the iconic venue. “I feel like it’s a historical and monumental moment,” Anahí Díaz, the booking coordinator at Radio City, tells Billboard Español. “Representation is important. I hope it’s not the first of any.”
As part of his Mirada Tour Parte 2, the artist will continue to bring his unique blend of sad sierreño ballads to audiences across the country before heading to Mexico. Having kicked off the trek at Coachella in April, his tour includes stops at major venues such as the United Center in Chicago, the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The 30-date journey will wrap on June 22 in Sacramento, Calif.
Check out the full setlist below from his Radio City Music Hall performance in New York.
“Atención”
Image Credit: Mario Millan
Police in Brazil said on Sunday (May 4) that two people have been arrested in connection with an alleged plot to detonate explosives at a free Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro.
The Rio event on Saturday (May 3) was the biggest show of the pop star’s career that attracted more than 2 million fans to Copacabana Beach and had crowds screaming and dancing along.
Even as Brazilian authorities said they arrested suspects in the hours before Gaga’s show, the event went ahead without disruption — leading some to question the seriousness of the threat. Serious security concerns typically lead organizers to cancel such massive events — as happened with Taylor Swift’s concerts in Vienna last year.
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Police said said nothing about the alleged plot at the time to in an effort to “avoid panic” and “the distortion of information.”
On Sunday, a spokesperson for Gaga said the pop star and her team “learned about this alleged threat via media reports this morning. Prior to and during the show, there were no known safety concerns, nor any communication from the police or authorities to Lady Gaga regarding any potential risks.”
The statement added: “Her team worked closely with law enforcement throughout the planning and execution of the concert and all parties were confident in the safety measures in place.”
Security was tight at Saturday’s concert, with 5,200 military and police officers deployed to the beach where fans were reveling in the pop singer’s classic hits like “Born This Way,” which became something of an LGBTQ anthem after its 2011 release.
Rio de Janeiro’s state police and Brazil’s Justice Ministry presented the bare outlines of a plot that they said involved a group that promoted hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community, among others, and had planned to detonate homemade explosive devices at the event.
“The plan was treated as a ‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,” the police said. The group, it added, disseminated violent content to teenagers online as “a form of belonging.”
Authorities arrested two people in connection with the alleged plot — a man described as the group’s leader in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul on illegal weapons possession charges, and a teenager in Rio on child pornography charges. Police did not elaborate on their exact roles in the plot or on how the group came to target Gaga’s free concert.
“Those involved were recruiting participants, including teenagers, to carry out integrated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” police said.
The Justice Ministry said that it determined the group posed a “risk to public order.” It said the group falsely presented themselves online as “Little Monsters” — Gaga’s nickname for her fans — in order to reach teenagers and lure them into “networks with violent and self-destructive content.”
The ministry said there was no impact on those attending the open-air concert.
During a series of raids on the homes of 15 suspects across several Brazilian states, authorities confiscated phones and other electronic devices. Although police said they believed homemade bombs were intended for use in the planned attack, there was no mention of the raids turning up any weapons or explosive material.
Gaga has expressed gratitude for the enormous crowd in an Instagram post that said nothing of the alleged plot.
“Nothing could prepare me for the feeling I had during last night’s show—the absolute pride and joy I felt singing for the people of Brazil,” she wrote. “The sight of the crowd during my opening songs took my breath away. Your heart shines so bright, your culture is so vibrant and special, I hope you know how grateful I am to have shared this historical moment with you.”
Her free beach concert stood out at a time of surging ticket prices for live music around the world as concert-goers pay budget-busting costs to see their favorite artists.
Rio has done this before — last May, superstar Madonna performed the finale to her latest world tower for some 1.6 million fans on the sprawling sands of Copacabana Beach.
Lady Gaga performed to a record-breaking crowd during her free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday (May 3).
“Tonight, we’re making history,” she told the massive audience. “Thank you for making history with me.”
The concert began around 10 p.m. local time, with the 39-year-old pop icon opening with her 2011 track “Bloody Mary.” She followed it with a hit-filled set including fan favorites like “Poker Face” and “Alejandro,” as well as music from her latest Billboard 200-topping album, Mayhem.
Concert organizers estimated that approximately 2.1 million people attended the free Copacabana Beach show, according to Associated Press. The event is now the highest-attended concert by a female artist in history, surpassing Madonna’s 2024 performance at the same venue, which drew 1.6 million.
The largest concert crowd in history is still held by Rod Stewart, who drew 3.5 million fans to a New Year’s Eve performance at Copacabana Beach in 1994, according to the Guinness World Records.
Gaga’s performance drew over 1 million Brazilians and approximately 500,000 Little Monsters who flew in for the show, generating more than $100,000 for Rio’s economy, NPR reports. The city’s tourism department has announced that free concerts will continue to be held at Copacabana Beach at least through 2028.
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The Rio concert marked Gaga’s first performance in Brazil since 2012.
“I’ve missed you so much,” the superstar told the crowd during a soundcheck the night before the show, according to Rolling Stone. “I know that this is not the first show here, I know this is just a rehearsal, it feels like it’s the real show.”
In 2017, Gaga canceled her Rock in Rio performance due to “severe physical pain,” later revealing she had been hospitalized at the time.
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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Honored in Los Angeles
Earlier this week, Natalia Jiménez was honored by the City of Los Angeles with an Official Proclamation presented by District 14 Councilvmember Ysabel Jurado. The tribute took place at City Hall as part of the Fiesta Broadway celebrations, where the Spanish singer-songwriter was also named the 2025 Queen of Fiesta Broadway—she will also headline this year’s event.
“It means so much to me because of my strong ties to Mexico and the entire Latino community,” she said in a press statement. “I’ve lived many years in both Mexico and the United States, and I understand what it means to migrate and seek new opportunities. I’m proud to be part of such a united community, especially in challenging times. Thank you for inviting me, for this recognition, and for allowing me to celebrate our culture and language with all of you.”
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Making History on Tour
In other L.A.-related news, Rauw Alejandro made history at the Intuit Dome as the first Latin artist to perform three consecutive sold out concerts. During his Cali shows—part of his Cosa Nuestra world tour—the Puerto Rican artist invited surprise guests Marconi Impara and Yan Block to perform “Espresso Martini” from his album Cosa Nuestra.
Produced by Live Nation, the Broadway-inspired set — a nod to Rauw’s new musical era that symbolizes elegance, maturity and glamour —includes a live band in tow. The Cosa Nuestra stint wraps May 31 in Miami. The “Todo de Ti” hitmaker will perform a four-day sold-out residency from June 5 to 8 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan before taking the tour to Europe.
Rauw Alejandro
Marco Perretta
Heartfelt Bad Bunny Cover
Laura Pausini has paid a heartfelt tribute to Bad Bunny by releasing her own version of his song “Turista,” part of his chart-topping album Debí Tirar Más Fotos. Produced and arranged alongside her husband and musician, Paolo Carta, Pausini delivers a melancholic cover backed by weeping piano melodies and her potent vocals. “I listened to ‘Turista’ and instantly fell in love with it…so I sang it,” the Italian-born, Spanish-singing artist expressed on Instagram. “Some songs don’t need to be part of a new album or promoted as a single. When a song touches your heart, it’s good in any style, at any time. Bravo Bad Bunny.” Listen to the track below.
Perreo: A Revolution
On the heels of dropping her ultra-personal, ultra-vulnerable, and ultra-experimental album Latinaje, Cazzu presents her first-ever book, Perreo: Una Revolución. “This book tells, vindicates, and denies the urban music industry specifically, about life as a woman in music or in any field. But above all, it aims to be a contribution to continue building equality,” she wrote on Instagram. “I dedicate it to the women who love reggaeton, to those who hate it, to those who want to sing, compose, or produce, to my female colleagues who barely made it and continue to resist […] I also dedicate this to my male colleagues and the artists who inspired me,” she adds, admitting that thoughts of writing her own novel began four years ago. The book is available in all bookstores, as an ebook, and an audiobook (narrated by Cazzu).
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music, including new albums by Gloria Trevi (El Vuelo), Adriel Favela (Sueños de la Calle Vol. 1), and Fuerza Regida (111XPANTIA). In the middle of his biggest tour yet, Ivan Cornejo has dropped […]