State Champ Radio Music News
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The sheer number of artist signings announced on a weekly basis makes it difficult to keep up, no matter how closely you pay attention to the industry news cycle. That’s why every other Tuesday, Billboard compiles the latest signings to labels, distributors, agencies, management companies and more, in an effort to provide a snapshot of the latest moves in the artist space, from household names to indie stars to emerging acts.
First up this week, UTA signed singer-songwriter, actress and model FKA twigs for global representation in all areas. Twigs most recently released the album Eusexua Afterglow, a follow-up to her acclaimed album Eusexua from earlier this year that just nabbed a Grammy nod for best dance/electronic album. She’s slated to perform at Coachella next April.
Renowned Mexican singer Lucero is embarking on a new chapter in her career with Seitrack Records, the record label division of Ocesa Seitrack. On Oct. 29, the star, who has more than 45 years of experience in TV, film and music, signed an agreement with Octavio Padilla, the company’s director. Ranchera music will be the focus of this new phase of her career, with an upcoming album produced by Aureo Baqueiro. — Tere Aguilera
Miami company Fundamentals, led by Horacio Rodríguez, signed Ecuadorian rising star Jombriel and his longtime collaborator and producer Jøtta. Hailing from Esmeraldas, Jombriel was featured in Billboard‘s On the Radar Latin earlier this year. In March, the 22-year-old earned his first No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 with the Ryan Castro-assisted remix of his viral hit “Parte & Choke,” also featuring Alex Krack and Jøtta. Jombriel’s breakthrough single, “Vitamina” with DFZM and Jøtta, has garnered more than 325 million Spotify streams, according to Fundamentals, and is included on his debut 2025 album, Jombriel de la Suerte. Jøtta, a rising creative force in the Latin music world, is the producer behind these chart-topping hits, which blend dancehall, reggaeton and tropical sounds. — Isabela Raygoza
Check out more recent artist signings below.
Mad Tsai (Rebellion Records)
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ROSALÍA makes history with an unprecedented feat, as she becomes the first artist to secure five No. 1s debuts across Billboard charts (dated Nov. 22). LUX, her fourth studio album, opens at No. 1 on Top Latin Albums, Top Latin Pop Albums, Classical Albums, Classical Crossover, and World Albums. The set also debuts at No. 4 on Billboard 200 chart, making her first top 10 on the overall chart.
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LUX opens with 46,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States on the tracking week ending Nov. 13, according to Luminate. While ROSALÍA scored two No. 1 albums on the Top Latin Pop Albums chart previously through El Mal Querer (2018) and Motomami (24 weeks at No. 1 between 2022-23), LUX marks the Spaniard’s first effort to reach No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and her first top 10 on the all-genre Billboard 200. It’s also her first title to reach Classical Albums, Classical Crossover and World Albums.
Out of LUX’s 46,000 total units in its opening week, streaming activity contributed 27,000 units, translating to 34.1 million on-demand official U.S. streams. Meanwhile, album sales accounted for 19,000, with minimal contribution from track-equivalent album (TEA) units.
Top Latin Albums’ Best: ROSALÍA achieves her strongest performance yet on the Top Latin Albums chart as LUX debuts at No. 1. This marks her best showing on the overall Latin albums ranking among three entries. Her 2018 album El Mal Querer peaked at No. 10, while Motomami climbed to No. 3 in 2022.
First Spanish-Born Woman to Top Classical Albums & Classical Crossover Albums Charts in Modern Era: While the Classical Albums and Classical Crossover Albums charts have featured numerous core Latin and Spanish-born artists over the years, until now, a Spanish-born woman had never claimed the top spot on either chart in the modern era (since Luminate’s electronically-tracked data began powering both charts in December 1993). Renowned Spain-born figures José Carreras and Plácido Domingo, and Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel have all achieved No. 1s on the Classical Albums chart, with Carreras and Domingo also earning a No. 1 on the Crossover Albums chart in 1997.
With the arrival of LUX, ROSALÍA breaks new ground, becoming the first woman who is both Spanish-born and primarily a Latin recording artist, to achieve a No. 1 on both charts in the modern era.
First Spanish-Speaking Solo Woman to Reach No. 1 on the World Albums Chart: Nine acts who speak and predominantly perform in Spanish have previously reached No. 1 on the World Albums chart. Among those, Cuban ensemble Buena Vista Social Club (1999, 2015), Spanish artist Manu Chao (2007), Mexican duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (2007, 2009, 2014), Puerto Rican artist Residente (2017), Mexican musician Santana (2019), Spanish group Gipsy Kings (1990, 1994-1997, 2001, 2004, 2013), Colombian Pedro Ramaya Beltrán (2017), and Peruvian artists Ricardo Delgado and Mario Mendoza (both in 2017).With her album LUX, Rosalía becomes the first-ever Spanish-speaking solo woman to claim the top spot on the 25-position World Albums ranking.
Most Simultaneous Songs for a Latin Pop Act on Hot Latin Songs in Over a Year: ROSALÍA sets a new standard for Latin pop acts by placing 11 simultaneous songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2025, which incorporates streaming data, radio airplay, and digital sales to rank songs. Prior, only one Latin pop artist had reached similar milestones in a single week: Kali Uchis, with 14 concurrent tracks in January 2024.
Starting at No. 3, “La Perla,” with Yahritza y Su Esencia, leads the new tracks with 4.8 million official on-demand streams. Plus, “Reliquia” the album’s second top 10 hit, debuts at No. 10 with 3.2 million official on-demand clicks during its opening week. With these two new top 10 entries, ROSALÍA captures her ninth top 10 on Hot Latin Songs.
Here’s a rundown of ROSALÍA’s LUX tracks on the Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Nov. 22):
No. 3, “La Perla,” Yahritza y Su EsenciaNo. 10, “Reliquia”No. 13, “Sexo, Violencia y Llantas”No. 15, “Porcelana”No. 17, “Dios Es Un Stalker”No. 23, “La Yugular”No. 25, “De Madrugá”No. 26, “Mundo Nuevo”No. 28, ‘Sauvignon Blanc”No. 30, “La Rumba Del Perdón,” with Estrella Morente & Silvia Pérez-CruzNo. 36, “Magnolias”
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Aspen Live, the annual live music industry conference, is returning to Aspen, Colo., Dec. 4-6. Capped at an attendance of 150 people and scheduled around Colorado’s winter activities, the event is the brainchild of longtime touring and event producer Jim Lewi, who heads up production and business development for Embarc Events.
“The first year we did it in 1996, everybody who came was a skier or snowboarder,” says Lewi. “It was dumping snow, and everybody wanted to go out and ski. So I said, ‘Okay, no meetings until after the lifts close.’”
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That philosophy continues today, even though only half of the attendees ski or snowboard, according to Lewi. Mornings feature a group breakfast, followed by activities — skiing, cooking classes, nature walks — that are designed to keep attendees networking. Panel discussions happen in the afternoons, followed by cocktail parties and dinners around town.
The conference’s most anticipated panel brings together Dave Marcus from Ticketmaster, Dean DeWulf from AXS and Sean Stewart from StubHub, moderated by manager Randy Nichols. It’s a lineup that Lewi acknowledges could get contentious.
“I warned StubHub before they said yes that it could get rough with people in the room,” Lewi says. “But this is part of our distribution network now. We can fight it, or we can do business with them and try to get rid of the bots.”
Lewi sees the secondary market as an opportunity for rights holders to capture upside they’re currently missing. “If you’re gonna charge more money for my ticket, I want to get paid on the upside,” he explains. “That’s Sean’s job — to have that direct relationship with the rights holders.”
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Aspen Live’s programming reflects Lewi’s belief that the live music industry can learn from adjacent sectors. One panel focuses on Latin music, exploring how that market has grown beyond border states to continually expand its audience. Another panel brings together performing arts center executives with venue operators and artist managers.
“How do we utilize their models?” Lewi asks. “They have subscribers, they have mailing lists, they book further in advance. What can we learn from them?”
Perhaps most intriguing is a session featuring representatives from minor league baseball team the Nashville Sounds. “They sell more tickets than Major League Baseball, without the names, without the money,” Lewi says. “How are they so good at engaging fans? They’re selling the same product over and over again.”
What distinguishes Aspen Live is its commitment to honest discourse in an intimate setting. “We want it to be more of a discussion and a dialogue than a monologue,” Lewi says. “People yell out their own thoughts throughout the meetings.”
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Lewi notes with pride that the conference has spawned numerous business relationships and partnerships over the years: “A lot of people have created their whole business out of Aspen,” he says.
As the live music industry faces mounting challenges — from affordability concerns to changing consumer behavior — Aspen Live’s intimate, problem-solving approach feels increasingly relevant. As Lewi puts it, the goal is for the industry to find sustainable models in an increasingly difficult market.
“The theme is always, ‘Solve problems and try to learn from each other,’” Lewi says. “I’ve always been very dreamy. I dream that Aspen becomes a place where problems can be resolved.”
Learn more and register at AspenLive.com.
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Trending on Billboard In this week’s episode of The Hot 100 Show, Billboard chart experts explain Sombr’s breakthrough into the top 10 of the Hot 100 with “Back to Friends,” they break down best new artist correlations with the Hot 100, the resurgence of R&B, and Taylor Swift’s “Opalite” possibly surging to No. 1. Meghan […]
Trending on Billboard Stephen Curry tied an elite record while playing against the San Antonio Spurs last week, and the NBA superstar says the achievement has him feeling like a certain rock star. The Golden State Warriors vet put up 46 points on Wednesday night followed by a 49-point game on Friday. The two games […]
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After Ariana Grande‘s upcoming run of shows comes to a close next year, the sun might set on her life as a touring artist.
While guesting on an episode of Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast posted Tuesday (Nov. 18), the pop superstar explained that while she’s feeling really excited to perform for her fans in 2026, she doesn’t think she’ll do it again any time soon after the trek supporting 2024 album Eternal Sunshine ends. “I’m going to do a small stint of shows next year, because that is something that sounded authentically good to me,” she began.
“Following those authentic impulses, it feels like a really good idea,” Grande continued before reflecting on how she’s been shifting focus in her career to include more acting projects. “My pop career sort of took over my life in a way. I feel very privileged and grateful to learn that there can be room for different creative endeavors … The last 10 or 15 years will look very different to the ones that are coming up.”
“I don’t want to say any definitive things,” she added. “I do know that I’m very excited to do this small tour, but I think it might not happen again for a long, long, long, long time. So I’m going to give it my all. I think that’s why I’m doing it, because I’m like, ‘One last hurrah. For now.’”
It’s not the first time the Grammy winner has hinted that she’d be focusing less on pop music going forward. In October, she revealed that she once thought she would “never” make an album again after her 2020 Positions LP, but that playing Glinda in the Wicked films — the second of which premieres Nov. 21 — inspired her to keep creating music, leading to Eternal Sunshine.
That said, Grande has been even less keen on touring over the years. She hasn’t hit the road since her Sweetener World Tour wrapped in 2019, and when she was asked in 2024 by Variety whether she was planning shows for her Eternal Sunshine era, she replied, “I think the next few years, hopefully we’ll be exploring different forms of art, and I think acting is feeling like home right now.”
This past August, however, Grande announced that she’d be touring after all, with her Eternal Sunshine trek kicking off in June next year and running through August. Her shows are planned for L.A., Atlanta, Chicago, Montreal, London and a few more cities.
Watch Grande’s full interview on Good Hang above.
