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Luis Fonsi feels “like it was yesterday” when he released his first album, Comenzaré, on September 15, 1998. He was barely 20 years old and hoping that there would be a place for him in the music industry and the mainstream. All he knew, and wanted to do, was music.
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Twenty-five years later, the singer-songwriter behind hits like “Despacito” and “No Me Doy Por Vencido” celebrates a career of which he can be proud — in addition to being still open enough to continue taking risks and trying new music styles.
The Puerto Rican star, who in recent days announced a concert at the WiZink Center in Madrid for February 16 with which he will launch his 25 Años Tour, debuted on the Billboard charts in 1998 with “Dime Como,” which reached No. 23 on both Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay, and two years later achieved his first No. 1 with “Imagíname Sin Ti,” which topped Latin Airplay for two weeks.
He holds the record for most weeks at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs with his Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber assisted mega-hit “Despacito,” which spent 56 weeks at the top of the chart, while his 2008 song “No Me Doy Por Vencido” held the top spot for 19. In addition, he has 13 entries on Top Latin Albums, eight of which reached the top 10 and four No. 1, and eight entries on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with Palabras del Silencio achieving the highest place in the ranking, at No. 15, in 2008.
He will soon release a new studio album, El Viaje, which will include the recent singles “Buenos Aires” and “Pasa la Página ‘Panamá’.”
Billboard Español caught up a few days ago with Fonsi, who spoke enthusiastically about his beginnings, his new music and his thirst to continue experimenting without paying attention to algorithms.
1. Hi Fonsi! You are speaking to me from Madrid, where you have just announced an upcoming concert at the WiZink Center. Why is this venue important to you?
I have never done my own concert at WiZink as part of a tour. I have played on many occasions there at different events, festivals, as a guest, but oddly enough, it is the first time I will perform […] And more than anything, the fact that it has to do with my 25th anniversary, which is going to be kind of celebration — but hey, I’m going to take it everywhere, this is not going to be the only place — it makes it even more magical.
2. You spend an important part of your time in Madrid. Do you feel at home there?
Madrid is a city that I love very much. After my homeland of course, I consider it to be the place where I feel most at home — perhaps even more so than Miami, which is where I reside. And I love Miami! What happens is that my wife [Águeda López] is Spanish and we have made a very nice base here with family and friends. The last four or five years we have spent entire summers here because I have just had to go on long summer tours, and at the same do La Voz [the Spanish version of The Voice], which is a format that I enjoy a lot [as a coach], and that forces me to be here for long stretches. So I feel comfortable here.
3. You just released “Pasa la Página ‘Panama’.” What led you to write that song?
It’s a fun song. Like a relief. Everything obviously revolves around a phrase that I don’t know about everyone, but I use it a lot: “Turn the page, leave that behind, move on, life is too short, forget it, get over it.” That’s how it was born, and I think a lot of people need someone to tell them that. It does not refer to any specific person or moment. I think life is full of cycles, and sometimes we reach one that is difficult for us to close and someone has to tell us, “Get up, get out of that funk.” And it doesn’t necessarily have to do with love. It goes beyond that.
4. Would you say that it is not so much about love but about self-love?
Totally. For me the song it’s a PSA. It’s a meme, it’s a hashtag. In fact, the concept of the new album, which will be released next year, is that all the songs are names of cities. It came out a bit accidentally because several songs from cities emerged and we said: “Hey, it would be cool to celebrate this 25-year anniversary by going on a trip more than anything down memory lane.”
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5. But Fonsi, what happened in Panama? Why is it called “Pasa la Página ‘Panamá’”?
[Laughs.] Because it says: “Now change the channel, you are not Panama.” [Ed. note: “Canal” in Spanish can be translated both as channel and canal.] The song is not dedicated to Panama. And the other songs are not tributes to the countries either, they are not personal experiences. It’s just like the song goes through that place. But “pasa la página” is a phrase with so much weight that I did not want to remove it from the equation, and that is why it is the only song on the album that has two titles.
6. “Pasa la Página ‘Panamá’” is the second single from El Viaje, after “Buenos Aires.” What else can you tell us about the album, perhaps on a musical level?
Musically speaking, it is an album that covers several genres within what pop is for me. At the end of the day, I make ballads and pop music and I make fusions, I mix melodic genres. “Buenos Aires” has a little bit of that Argentine cumbia, “Pasa la Página” has a little more funk. There is a bachata, there is a merengue-pop, there are more traditional pop songs, there are songs that are simply very singer-songwriter, guitar-driven. Within the range of this genre, I always like to play with different colors and flavors, because I am curious, and because musically I see it as a challenge.
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7. You are celebrating 25 years of this “viaje” (journey) since the release of Comenzaré in 1998. You were only 20 back then. Any particular memory from that time?
I honestly don’t feel like 25 years have passed, I feel like that was yesterday. I remember it as jumping into the unknown. I had prepared and studied all my life, or my short life — until 19, I was very studious — and luckily, I always knew what I wanted to do, from a very young age, and that is a privilege because many people realize it later in life and it takes time to get on track. Then it’s album one, let’s see what happens.
I was born in Puerto Rico, moved to Orlando at 11, went to Florida State [University], recorded my album in my last year of college, went straight back to Puerto Rico, moved to a little apartment … It was like a crash course in welcome to the real world. I literally went to promote my album and see if people were going to accept me, to see if the industry was going to save a space for a new artist. So I remember it as the uncertainty of saying “Wow! What is going to happen?” But at the same time, the thrill of seeing my face on the cover of an album — to some extent, that excitement has not gone away.
8. You may be better known internationally for songs like “Despacito” and “No Me Doy Por Vencido,” but what did your first No. 1 on the Billboard charts, “Imagíname Sin Ti,” mean to you?
It was that first taste of wow, having a hit song, having a song nominated for awards, doing the red carpet. It was the first song that crossed the pond, because with that song I got to Europe — specifically to Spain — so when I sing that song or listen to that song, I get flashbacks of feeling that there was a very important stepping stone. And also of assurance to myself — because it was already album No. 2 — that maybe I can dedicate [myself] to this. I say it with a smile now, but at that time it was like that. A record guarantees you absolutely nothing in life. But when you say, “Well, I already have a second album and now I have a No. 1 on Billboard…” I think I’m going to make it!
9. Years ago, when I interviewed you about the release of “Despacito,” you said that you were glad that that level of success came at a point in your career where you were more prepared for it. How do you see it now that some time has passed and you are not in the middle of the “Despacito” madness?
You cannot design a perfect career and say, “I want such a certain thing to happen to me at such a time.” Obviously I would have liked my first single to have been a global success, but the fact that my career has gone, not pun intended, despacito [slowly], has taught me to keep my feet on the ground, to appreciate and celebrate every moment, every triumph. To know how to learn from the blows that life gives you and that this career itself gives you. To not lose focus and to continue going forward with a smile and the desire to learn.
So when it arrives 19 years after having started, well, you are already a little bit bulletproof. And look, I celebrated it and I cried and thanked it as if it were my first hit — but the moment was not bigger than me.
10. In no more than five words, how would you define your career?
It has been a journey of learning, a journey of love. And it has been a gift.
11. What do you feel you still need to do as a singer-songwriter?
I think it’s honestly about continuing to evolve, continuing to take risks. I consider myself still young, but clearly there is a generation or two after me that I am learning from. I think I’m in a place where I can express myself in a different way, and where I have to take risks to make music, and not think so much about trends and what works or what the algorithm says works. I’m in a place right now as a singer-songwriter where I’m like, “I’m going to make music, and — especially in the writing process — I’m not going to think as much about whether it’s going to work or not.”
12. I’m gonna say a series of words, names or titles, and I’d like you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Puerto Rico.
My whole life.
13. Águeda López.
Ah! The love of my life.
14. Fatherhood. (Fonsi and López have two children together)
My best song.
15. Fame.
What accompanies success.
16. “Despacito”.
Before and after.
17. How often do you go to Puerto Rico?
About four times a year.
18. Your favorite Puerto Rican dish?
Arroz blanco, habichuelas y tostones. When you have white rice, beans and fried plantain on your plate, whatever is there to accompany it already tastes better.
19. What would you be if you weren’t a singer-songwriter?
I think I would work in the industry in some way. I don’t know how to speak any language other than music.
20. Ballad or urban pop?
Ballad.
21. Each song is created differently, but generally speaking, what is your songwriting process like?
I almost always start with a melodic idea, and there is almost always a word or a phrase that is like the anchor of that melodic idea. I’m not one to pick up the guitar and write a verse in one sitting from beginning to end, but I can write a melody in one sitting from beginning to end. The melodic part comes very easily to me, and the fill-in-the-blanks of the lyrics is the second step.
22. What is the song you wrote the fastest?
“No Me Doy Por Vencido” with Claudia Brant.
23. The most difficult?
“Aquí Estoy Yo” took us a long time. It wasn’t difficult, but just like a good wine, we needed the idea and concept to age. It was my fault, because I insisted on the song being a quartet. I wrote it with Claudia in around 2003, and it was completely shelved because I didn’t know what to do with it. Years passed until the first person I played the demo to was David Bisbal and he told me: “Vamos, Fonsi, count me in!” At the time I was writing songs with Noel Schajris and I called him. And well, that’s where the concept of “Aquí Estoy Yo” was put together. [The song, also featuring Aleks Syntek, finally came out as a quartet in 2008.]
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24. What song by another artist, in any language, do you wish was yours?
Any [song by] Juan Luis Guerra — but they would never be what they are if they were not his.
25. Where do you see yourself in 25 years?
Wow, by then I’m going to be old already! [Laughs.] I can’t say for sure, but I hope I still have this desire to continue communicating through songs.
A man was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico, for placing several “narcomantas” (banners) threatening Mexican music singer Peso Pluma.
Edgar Mendoza, regional prosecutor in Tijuana, told local news outlets that a person was detained in Colonia Libertad, one of the three points where “narcomantas” were placed warning singer Peso Pluma not to perform in the border town.
“This is for you, Peso Pluma. Don’t show up on October 14 because it will be your last presentation. You are disrespectful and loose-tongued, you show up and we are going to beat the s–t out of you,” read the banners, which were placed in three places throughout the city and signed “CJNG.”
The initials correspond to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel, which is why the banner is considered a “narcomanta.” The arrest of the person, whose identity has not been revealed, was made at 3 a.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 13) by the Municipal Police who were carrying out surveillance tours in Colonia Libertad.
“He was at the time and place. When he saw the authorities, he ran away. He was then arrested and found with narcotics in the bag. It was almost three in the morning,” explained José Fernando Sánchez González, head of the Municipal Security and Citizen Protection Secretariat, according to Infobae.
On Tuesday (Sept. 12), the municipal president of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero Ramírez, indicated to local media that the possibility of canceling the Peso Pluma concert scheduled for Oct. 14 at the Estadio Caliente would be evaluated.
“Singers like Peso Pluma glorifies crime, so there are certain groups that get upset and unfortunately those who suffer the consequences are the citizens who want to attend their concerts and then are put at risk,” she said. “In the next few days we will determine whether the concert goes ahead or not.”
Billboard Español has reached out to Peso Pluma’s camp for comment.
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Throughout almost four decades, Los Auténticos Decadentes have been able to get the party going with joyful and irreverent classics such as “Entregá el Marrón,” “La Guitarra” and “El Murguero.”
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Starting today (Sept. 14), fans of the Argentine ska and alternative rock band will be able to see them play in five U.S. cities, kicking off at the Palladium Times Square in New York and ending at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, where they will close, along with Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, the KCRW Festival on Sept. 24. They will also perform in Washington, D.C., as well as Napa and San Diego in California (more details here).
“We invite everyone,” Jorge Serrano, who has been part of Los Decadentes since its inception, tells Billboard Español. “Those who know us know they’re going to have a good time. Those who don’t know us will be surprised,” he adds with a smile.
The show they will be performing was presented last month at a sold-out concert in Buenos Aires in front of more than 15,000 people, according to a statement, which was also streamed in North and South America on the Star+ platform.
In the last three years, Los Auténticos Decadentes released A D N (2021, 2022, 2023, respectively), a trilogy of albums with covers of well-known Spanish-language songs, mostly recorded with guests such as Natalia Lafourcade, Panteón Rococó, Andrés Calamaro, Beto Cuevas and Diego Verdaguer. The most recent installment, N, was released last July, with eight songs — including versions of “Golpes En El Corazón” by Los Tigres del Norte, “Oro” by Bronco, “Costumbres Argentinas” by Calamaro and “La Ladrona” by Verdaguer.
“We’ve known those songs for a long time,” Serrano tells Billboard, explaining how they are part of the band’s DNA. “Many of them we play at our family parties, like Los Tigres’, or Bronco’s.”
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Comprised of 12 musicians, of which 10 are still founding members, Los Auténticos Decadentes was formed in 1986 and became known with the hit “Vení Raquel,” which set the tone for the irreverence and ironic humor of their future songs. While they have not entered the Billboard charts in the States, they have placed six songs from their A D N trilogy on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100, including “Golpes En El Corazón” featuring Natalia Lafourcade (November 2021), “La Ladrona” (August 2022) and, most recently, “Costumbres Argentinas” (May 2023).
Below, Serrano talks with Billboard Español about the group’s recent covers project, and how they’ve managed to stay relevant across the decades.
When you hear Auténticos Decadentes, you think of ska, rock, irreverence, joy. But then you see that in your DNA there are songs like “Costumbres Argentinas” by Andrés Calamaro or “La Ladrona” by Diego Verdaguer. How did this project come about and why do you consider that these songs are part of your DNA?
The album began as a whim when we said, “How nice it would be to make an album with songs by people we admire, that we like … not our songs, but songs by other people.” And we had started to do it in Mexico in a Sony studio where we had some few hours left, so we took advantage of it, so we took advantage of it and said, “Well, this is the moment.”
Then the pandemic caught us — so we continued it, each one of us in our own home studios, sending vocals and different things; the [plans] were more or less already laid. It was something that kept us active and connected and songs and songs and songs and songs followed one after the other until it ended up being a triple [album]. Because when you make your own album you somehow have the limit of the songs you have done so far — but when you do a tribute album, a covers album, you can never finish, because there are millions of songs.
And well, our DNA… you say “La Ladrona,” for example — or songs that are somehow more popular than rock or ska, which is where we really came from — were always part of our style, because somehow one of the things that Los Decadentes did and contributed was to make a kind of crossover with what is popular music that at that time was not well received. As if rock was one thing and popular music was the music of adults or other people, but not of rockers. With affection, with love and because we liked it and enjoyed it, we incorporated it into our music. We have known those songs for a long time: Many of them we played in our family parties, like Los Tigres, or Bronco. And well, that’s how it was done.
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And did all 12 of you have a say in the selection of songs for the three albums?
Always. The 12 of us always have a say in everything we do. We are a cooperative, we are a horizontal group. When we make albums, we vote on the songs we choose. In this case, we didn’t vote on them, because we mostly suggested a song and in general we knew it and liked it and it was more like a “yes.” We didn’t have to vote a lot to decide whether to do it or not. We would say, “Yeah come on, let’s go!”
With Diego Verdaguer, who died last year — did you record together?
Yes, although not the vocal part, because we did the version of the song ourselves. But we did go to the house, he invited us to a barbecue, and there we did a little bit of the images that you see in the video.
After so many years, you have managed to stay relevant as a band. To what do you attribute your longevity and multi-generational success?
It’s usually a mystery, isn’t it, why people choose you and not the one next to you? But I think that continuity has a lot to do with it. We have been playing for 37 years, we are already very much part of people’s memories, of many people’s lives. We have transcended generations and we have never separated, we have always been present.
We were fortunate that we always had a song that was being listened to at the time, that people accepted us, even though we were getting older. We kept renewing our audience. We keep going to places where we are surprised that people from 15 to 25 years old know us and listen to us. We are grateful. It is beautiful and we do our best to respond to that. When we go to play, we do our best to make sure they have a good time at the show. I think all those things add up to that [longevity].
It’s interesting, because the music industry and people’s taste have changed so much, especially in the last decade. What would you say has been the key to navigating these changes?
We somehow continue to do the same thing. What survives is a style of music, what survives are the memories, the affection that people have for this type of songs. And what we contribute in some way – I don’t know if we’ve been getting better and better or rather we are a testimony to our analog era of songs and this type of music, that if we are unplugged we can continue playing. We don’t depend on computers or things like that, although we use them.
It is also striking that after so many years, 10 out of 12 are still founding members. What is the dynamic among you? I imagine you are a family.
Yes, our children are also friends with each other, we have always had that multigenerational family spirit. On the other hand, we are a horizontal group, because we vote on the decisions, the songs we choose. We are a cooperative. All these things help us to live together. And also, being a group of friends before being musicians, we stayed true to ourselves — knowing how to value that somehow for all of us, who were like a herd of losers, the group got us out of where we were and the group is so much more than the sum of us. We value it and we know it. We take care of it.
A D N has had you doing covers for the last three years. Are you planning to release original music soon?
That’s what we’re focused on. We’re going to do it very quietly, without the pressures that albums usually [generate]. This one we want to do at our own pace, but I guess it will be for the next year or so.
In another three years the group will be 40. Do you already know how you want to celebrate?
We haven’t thought about it. At one point we celebrated our 10 years, then we celebrated 15, 20, 25. I don’t know if we celebrated 30, but we said, “Let’s stop a little bit to celebrate more [like] every now and then.” [Laughs.] But 40 is going to be unmissable!
Colombian superstar Karol G will be honored with the Spirit of Hope award at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, Billboard and Telemundo announced on Thursday (Sept. 14). The special award — which was established in 1996 in honor of the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla — will recognize Karol for her exceptional commitment to civic, community and humanitarian causes beyond their artistic success.
“I am grateful for this special recognition,” Karol G said in a statement. “My commitment with Con Cora Foundation is a fundamental part of my life and I am proud to be able to help the women who need it most.”
The “Provenza” singer’s impact extends beyond music. In 2022, Karol G founded the Con Cora Foundation, which aims to support the economic, social, psychological and artistic development of underprivileged women. Her philanthropic work will be recognized with the Billboard Spirit of Hope Award at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will broadcast live on Telemundo on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
Con Cora Foundation has partnered with She Is Foundation, dedicated to empowering women and girls through education in science, technology and entrepreneurship. Together, they aim to help one million women and girls by 2030. In addition, Karol’s foundation has teamed up with Fundación Acción Interna to offer scholarships — which provide skills and knowledge necessary to secure employment and reintegrate into society — to older female inmates in Bogotá and to female family members of those inmates.
A 13-time finalist at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, earlier this year Karol made history with Mañana Será Bonito, becoming the first woman to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with an all Spanish-language album. Currently, she’s on her U.S. stadium tour, which wraps up Sept. 28 in Boston.
This year, Peso Pluma leads the list of finalists with 21 nods across 15 categories, including artist of the year, songwriter of the year, Global 200 Latin artist of the year, and Top Latin Album of the year. See the complete list of finalists here.
As has been the case for more than 20 years, the Billboard Latin Music Awards coincide with Billboard’s annual Latin Music Week, the single largest and most important gathering of the Latin music industry, taking place Oct. 2-6. The event will feature panels, conversations and workshops at the Faena Forum and exclusive performances and fan experiences throughout the week in Miami. Artists Shakira, Myke Towers, Vico C, Grupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Nicki Nicole, RBD, and many more, are confirmed to participate.
Purchase tickets to the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week here.
Loud and Live founder and CEO Nelson Albareda has always carried tropical music in general and salsa in particular, deep inside him. A die-hard fan of Cuban salsero Willy Chirino, he also worked closely with salsa queen Celia Cruz and, through Loud and Live, represents the Celia Cruz estate today.
Now, Albareda is on a quest to elevate and grow the music with which he started his career. As he’s been saying for months, tropical music is having a moment. This week, via his powerhouse promotion and entertainment company, Albareda put his money where his mouth is and signed an exclusive booking agreement with developing salsa star Christian Alicea.
Loud and Live already books major tropical music names like Carlos Vives and Juan Luis Guerra. But the Alicea deal is different in that in addition to booking Alicea’s concerts, Loud and Live will also work in partnership with his management team to support marketing and promotional endeavors surrounding the artist and his music.
Although Alicea has just one album under his belt — Yo, released this past May — he has already placed two tracks in the Top 25 of Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart. This week, a third single, “Aroma,” is at No. 15 on the list.
“Christian is an exceptionally talented young man who, because of his humility, charisma and spectacular and unique voice, we are confident that he will conquer and lead the tropical genre worldwide for many years to come,” said Albareda in a statement.
The partnership, says Alicea’s producer, Urales ‘Dj Buddha’ Vargas, is “the icing on the cake. For us, having someone like Nelson see the vision and the potential of Christian means a lot.”
As Latin music’s focus has slowly shifted from solely reggaetón in the past year, other genres are beginning to rise on the charts. While regional Mexican music undoubtedly leads the fray, pop is also seeing a resurgence, and tropical music — long focused on legacy acts — is finally seeing a smattering of new names, including Luis Figueroa, teenager Luis Vazquez, and, of course, Alicea.
Don Omar and Chencho Corleone each add a new No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart, as “Podemos Repetirlo” surges 12-1 to rule the Sept. 16-dated ranking.
“It’s the music my fans want me to make, and that’s what I’ll do from now on, to please them,” Don Omar tells Billboard.
“Podemos Repetirlo” was released May 28 via Unisono/Saban. Strong airplay across Latin stations powers the collab to the summit on the overall Latin Airplay tally in its 13th week. According to Luminate, “Podemos” registered 9.7 million in audience impressions, up 60% from the week prior, earned in the U.S. during the Sept. 1-7 tracking week. The Greatest Gainer honoree of the week includes Houston’s KAMA; San Jose, Calif’s KVVF; and San Juan, Puerto Rico’s WQBS as its biggest supporters.
“’Podemos Repetirlo’s’ stickiness at radio is undeniable, congratulations to Don and the Saban Music Latin team on another chart topper,” added Gustavo Lopez, CEO of Saban Music Latin.
With “Podemos,” Don Omar adds his 12th No. 1 on Latin Airplay. He first reigned with “Angelito” for one week in July 2006 and notched eight other champs in the ‘10s, including “Danza Kuduro,” with Lucenzo, his longest-leading ruler: 15 weeks in charge in 2010.
“Podemos” arrives a year after Don Omar’s last No. 1 on the ranking, as he spent one week in charge also through a collab: “Soy Yo,” with Wisin and Gente de Zona, crowned the July 16, 2022-dated list.
Chencho, meanwhile, captures his third ruler. He notched his first and second leaders with “Desesperados,” with Rauw Alejandro, and “Me Porto Bonito,” with Bad Bunny, in July 2022 and August 2022, respectively.
In addition to its lead on Latin Airplay, “Podemos” concurrently commands Latin Rhythm Airplay with a 7-1 climb. On the multimetric Hot Latin Songs, both acts score their best ranking in over a year, as the song ascends 39-32.
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Karol G Nabs 18th top 10 with two new entries: Elsewhere on Latin Airplay, Karol G achieves a dual top 10 win as “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” flies 16-3, while “Amargura” jumps 11-9.
“Mi Ex” leads the double top 10 rise with a 37% gain in audience, to 7.67 million earned, during the same period. “Amargura” improves with a 4% gain, to 6.41 million.
With the new top 10s, Karol picks up her 18th top 10, still the second-most among women, after Shakira’s lofty 37 top 10s, the most for any female act and the fifth-most overall.
The arrival of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s music video for “Back for More” featuring Anitta is imminent! The K-pop group — which consists of members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai — released a teaser for the track on Wednesday (Sept. 13) to drum up excitement for MOA. The teaser kicks off by panning to a […]
Tuesday night’s (Sept. 12) 2023 MTV Video Music Awards had a little something for everyone, from Olivia Rodrigo‘s explosive “Vampire/Get Him Back!” medley to the night’s emcee, Nicki Minaj, previewing an unnamed Pink Friday 2 track and performing “Last Time I Saw You,” to Karol G‘s neon-drenched “Oki Doki/Ta OK” performance, Doja Cat‘s spooky “Attention/Paint the Town Red” trifecta and the show-closing all-star hip-hop 50th anniversary tribute featuring DMC, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne and Minaj.
The long, long night swung from country to hip-hop, pop, Latin and rock, with Kelsea Ballerini performing the world premiere performance of “Penthouse,” Fall Out Boy playing their updated Billy Joel cover of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Shakira‘s mind-bending, hip-shaking medley of hits before accepting her landmark Video Vanguard Award and a strong showing from K-Pop acts Stray Kids (“S-Class”) and Tomorrow X Together with Anitta (“Back For More”).
Peso Pluma represented for Regional Mexican music with an arresting run through his track “Lady Gaga,” NLE Choppa roped in Nelly for a medley of his “Ain’t Gonna Answer” and his take on the St. Louis legend’s “It’s Getting Hot,” while Metro Boomin’ flooded the zone with Future, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee and Nav for the first broadcast performances of “Superhero (Heroes & Villains)” and “Calling.”
Italian rockers Måneskin returned to the VMA stage with slightly more clothes to rip through their new single, “Honey (Are U Coming?),” while Lil Wayne stacked up his new single, “Kat Food,” with a medley that also featured “Back That Azz Up” and “Uproar” and Global Icon Award winner Diddy presented a medley of his biggest hits, including “I’ll Be Missing You/Bad Boys For Life/I Need a Girl.”
Speaking of killer career overviews, Demi Lovato previewed her new Revamped album, with rocked-up versions of “Heart Attack/Sorry Not Worry/Cool For Summer,” on a night when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion performed their new NSFW single “Bongos” live for the first time and Anitta danced across the stage to “Used to Be/Funk Rave/Grip.”
Check out all the night’s main stage performances below.
NLE Choppa feat. Nelly — “Ain’t Gonna Answer/It’s Getting Hot”
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Olivia Rodrigo — “Vampire/Get Him Back!”
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Anitta — “Used to Be/Funk Rave/Grip”
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Lil Wayne — “Back That Azz Up/Uproar/Kat Food”
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Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion — “Bongos”
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Demi Lovato — “Heart Attack/Sorry Not Sorry/Cool For Summer”
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Doja Cat — “Attention/Paint the Town Red/Demons”
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Shakira — “She Wolf/Te Felicito/TQG/Objection (Tango)/Hips Don’t Lie/Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53”
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Nicki Minaj — “Last Time I Saw You” (plus snippet of unnamed new song)
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Diddy (feat. King Combs, Keyshia Cole)– “Ill Be Missing You/It’s All About the Benjamins/Last Night/Mo’ Money, Mo Problems/Bad Boys For Live/I Need a Girl”
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Stray Kids — “S-Class”
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Peso Pluma — “Lady Gaga”
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Metro Boomin feat. Future, Swae Lee, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Nav — “Superhero/Calling”
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Karol G — “Oki Doki/Tá Ok”
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Fall Out Boy — “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
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Tomorrow X Together feat. Anitta — “Back For More”
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Måneskin — “Honey (Are U Coming?)”
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Kelsea Ballerini — “Penthouse”
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Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Medley feat. Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh and Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five
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Mexican music singer-songwriter Ivan Cornejo has signed an exclusive global publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), the company announced Wednesday (Sept. 13). The deal with UMPG comes just weeks after Cornejo joined Interscope Records’ roster — he had been signed to indie label Manzana Records since 2021. “I’m incredibly grateful about my signing with […]
Karol G‘s Mañana Será Bonito stadium tour is in full swing, visiting major markets across the United States. So far, artists such as Young Miko and Bad Gyal, who’ve opened up for Karol in different cities, have also joined the Colombian superstar on stage to sing their respective collaborations with her: “Dispo” for Young Miko […]