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Tragedy struck in the Dominican Republic after the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a concert, leaving nearly 30 dead and 120 injured in the early morning hours of Tuesday (April 8), according to multiple reports.
The club’s roof collapsed during a live performance of renowned merengue star Rubby Pérez, known for Billboard hits such as “Tu Vas a Volar,” “Enamorado de Ella,” and “15,500 Noches” in collaboration with Romeo Santos, Toño Rosario, Fernandito Villalona and Raman Orlando. The singer has been transferred to the Plaza de la Salud hospital, according to medical director Nepomuceno Mejia.
As news broke, Dominican and other Latin music stars have expressed their condolences and solidarity on social media.
“My prayers for everyone affected by this big tragedy that happened at the nightclub in Santo Domingo. Peace and much strength,” bachata sensation Prince Royce wrote on his Instagram stories.
In a collaborative Instagram post with her label and manager, Pina Records and Raphy Pina, Natti Natasha wrote: “My beloved land, the Dominican Republic. Today we all woke up with broken hearts. A tragedy that mourns our country and leaves a deep void in many families. We woke up with tears in our eyes, in silence, in prayer. May God give strength to every mother, father, child, and friend who today suffers the loss of a loved one.From the depths of my soul, I share your pain. I am with you. We are in mourning.”
“Praying for all those rescued and for the families of the more than 15 people who lost their lives! Rubby Pérez, maestro, with all my heart, praying for your safety,” merengue powerhouse Olga Tañon reacted on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Latin hitmaker Emilio Estefan Jr. shared on Instagram: “All united with the Dominican Republic in this moment of sorrow. We share the sadness of a great country that we love so much. Our prayers are with all the affected families. Emilio, Gloria, and the Estefan family.”
Dominican producer Maffio said on social media: “Wow, God, what sad news. May God put your hand on those affected and their families. What a tragedy, I’m speechless.”
Los Toros Band, helmed by vocalist Héctor Acosta and who has performed at the Jet Set club before, also shared its condolences via a statement on Instagram. “On behalf of our office and our team, we want to express our solidarity with all the Dominican people for the tragedy that occurred this morning at the nightclub in Santo Domingo,” the group wrote. “We send our condolences to the family of our colleague Rubby Pérez. May God help and give strength and comfort to the families of those affected.”
The AP reported that Pérez’s manager, Enrique Paulino, spoke to journalists at the scene about the collapse that happened about an hour after the show’s midnight start, sharing that the vocalist’s saxophone player was killed in the incident.
It is not yet known what caused the Jet Set’s roof to collapse.
See some of the other artist reactions below:
Sombr appears on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time (on the chart dated April 12) with his breakthrough single, “Back to Friends.”
Released Dec. 27 on SMB/Warner Records, the track debuts at No. 90 largely from its streaming sum: 6 million official U.S. streams (up 15%) in the March 28-April 3 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also raked in 304,000 radio airplay audience impressions (up 13%).
The song concurrently climbs 10-8 on Hot Alternative Songs, 10-9 on Hot Rock Songs and 13-11 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. It opens at No. 38 on Alternative Airplay with a 33% gain in format spins, earning Sombr his first appearance on a radio chart.
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The streaming gains for the song can partly be attributed to attention on TikTok, as it has soundtracked more than 240,000 videos on the platform to date.
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Sombr has another song building on TikTok: “Undressed” has been used in more than 110,000 clips. Released March 21, it pushes 13-11 on Hot Alternative Songs, 12-11 on Hot Rock Songs and 16-14 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs.
Sombr (real name Shane Boose) is the sole credited writer and producer on “Back to Friends.” On “Undressed,” he’s listed as the only writer, and as a co-producer with veteran producer/A&R executive Tony Berg. Berg has previously appeared on Billboard’s charts as a writer or producer on hits by Phoebe Bridgers (“Kyoto,” “Garden Song”) and, in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Michael Penn (“No Myth,” “This & That”). He has also worked on charted projects by Boygenius, Andrew Bird, Phantom Planet, Aimee Mann, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians and others. In 2023, he served as a producer on the Daisy Jones & The Six soundtrack, Aurora.
Sombr releaed his debut eight-track EP, in another life, in 2023. He’s currently on the road as the opening act for Daniel Seavey’s Second Wind Tour. In May, he’ll join Nessa Barrett on the European leg of her Aftercare tour, which runs through June.
Young Thug has reacted to a viral message on X of a fan with a large back tattoo that boasts the wrong lyrics to Thugger’s 2016 “Digits.” A post from Madrid tattoo artist Infrababy circulated on social media last week. It features a fan’s new ink with “Horses don’t stop, they keep going” written above […]
Speaking to Howard Stern on Tuesday morning (April 8) just two days after the controversial season three finale of his hit HBO series The White Lotus, Mike White said he doesn’t really know what the beef over the the show’s soundtrack was all about. Last week, show composer Cristóbal Tapia de Veer told the New York Times that he was permanently checking out of the gig after what he said were years of creative disputes with White over the Chilean musician’s unconventional musical style.
“Oh man… I honestly don’t know what happened, except now I’m reading his interviews because he decided to do some P.R. campaign about him leaving the show,” White nervously laughed while speaking to Stern on his SiriusXM morning radio show. “In reading the interviews I just realized he… I just don’t think he respected me. I think he basically, he wants people to know he’s edgy and dark and I’m… I watch reality TV,” added White, who, has, in fact, joyfully competed on both The Amazing Race (twice) and Survivor: David Vs. Goliath.
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In his chat with the Times, Tapia de Veer compared his collaboration with White as being akin to the kind of rock bands he’s been in before where, “the guitar player doesn’t understand the singer at all.” In fact, the composer who has won three Emmys for his work on the show said he’d had creative conflicts with White since the very first season of the show. He noted that he thought the show runner’s script for the first go-round was very “well-written,” but that he felt the comedic, “reality TV kind of vibe” did not fit with his “super dark and edgy” musical leanings.
“But when we had the talk with Mike, I just told him in a joke that I thought we could do some kind of ‘Hawaiian Hitchcock,’ and he really grabbed on that and he started laughing,” Tapia de Veer said, while also dinging White’s original temporary score as “nice background music” with a “chill, sexy” Ibiza club vibe but “literally no edge to it.”
Tapia de Veer also noted that after his divisive soundtrack for the just-concluded season received push-back from fans who missed the beloved melodies from the first two seasons, he planned to slyly bring back the “ool-loo-loo-loo” vocalizations they desired, but that White “wasn’t happy about that.”
White seemed perplexed by the apparent animus, telling Stern “we never even really fought… he said we feuded. I don’t think I ever had a fight with him, except maybe some emails. But it was just basically, like, me giving him notes. I don’t think he liked having to go through the process of getting notes from me or wanting revisions or ever. I guess he just didn’t respect me.”
In fact, White told Stern that he’s “never kissed somebody’s ass so hard” just to get them to be on board as he did with Tapia de Veer.
The show creator added that he knew Tapia de Veer was “not a team player and that he wanted to do it his way,” but that he was thrown that the musician would go to the Times to “s–t on me and the show three days before the finale. That was kind of a b–ch move.” Stern shot back that as the show’s writer and creator, White should have had the power to weigh in on the musical choices on the series that is his sole vision.
“Anyone that you hire, they gotta go with your vision, that’s it!” Stern suggested.
“Well that’s honestly why it did work the first couple seasons, because we did go through the process,” White explained. “But by the time the third season came around he’d won Emmys and had his song go viral, so he just did not want to go through the process anymore. He didn’t want to get notes from me… he always had this contemptuous smirk on his face whenever he was dealing with me. I think he thought I was just a chimp or something. I don’t know.”
In the end, White said he was confused by the ire over what he said was a pretty typical “creative difference” with the composer he readily praised as “really talented.”
Artists working with record labels in Latin America have a higher percentage of monthly listeners and generate more revenue on digital platforms than those who are self-released, according to a new report by Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) and the Latin American Independent Music Observatory (OLMI) on digital distribution in the region.
The report also shows that “the existence of local infrastructure (such as digital distributors) is related to higher levels of professionalization, income and knowledge of the digital value chain by artists, for example in relation to the types of existing contracts and the terms offered.”
Released on Tuesday (April 8), the study — which was conducted between 2023 and 2024 — analyzes the situation in eight countries, including Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Paraguay, and highlights how artists’ presence on digital platforms and affiliation with independent record labels positively influences their economic sustainability.
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“These results reinforce the notion that the structural and financial support that labels provide to artists is key to their success in the music ecosystem,” Noemí Planas, CEO of WIN, said in a press release. “Public and private investment to promote a professional music infrastructure in the region is key to ensure the growth of all players.”
One of the challenges the music industry faces in the region is the “heavy reliance on live performances,” the report states. That’s because “although more than 60% of artists generate income through streaming, less than 10% earn more than US$5,000 per year,” it notes. The report adds that “artists with more than 500 monthly listeners barely represent 30% [of artists]” — meaning a large majority may be affected by the recent royalty payment reforms introduced by the major streaming platforms that contemplate the demonetization of content below certain thresholds of streams and listeners.
The study found that almost a third (32.2%) of respondents market their music through distributors that have recently integrated — or are in the process of integrating — with majors, denoting a trend towards market consolidation.
“Consolidation in the music sphere is concerning because of its impact on the dissemination of Latin American independent music, especially in the digital market, where we see that there are fewer and fewer independent operators,” Planas adds. “The concentration of power, information and access channels in the hands of three large multinationals translates into worse conditions for independents, such as streaming models that demonetize their content and that they have no choice but to accept.”
The report highlights the importance of strengthening the relationship with record labels and investing in the education of key players. “[It] reaffirms the need to consolidate a professional, informed and collaborative ecosystem in Latin America,” Cristóbal Dañobeitia, director of OLMI, said in a statement. “The union between key players and investment in education, research and technology are essential to ensure equitable and sustainable growth.”
Titled “La Música Independiente en Latinoamérica: Cadena de Valor y Distribución Digital” (“Independent Music in Latin America: Value Chain and Digital Distribution”), the study was commissioned by WIN and developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts from OLMI, in collaboration with trade associations ABMI, IMICHILE and AMI PY, as well as AMPROFON, Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes Musicales (SCD), Alianza Francesa Costa Rica and Universidad de los Andes.
To access the full report (in Spanish) click here.
LISA is feeling emotional as she checks out of the White Lotus. Following the show’s finale, the BLACKPINK star reflected on her first-ever acting gig in a heartfelt Instagram post Tuesday (April 8), writing, “What a ride.”
“Thank you Mike White for trusting in me to fulfill the role of Mook and bring her character to life,” LISA continued, sharing a slew of photos taken on set in her home country of Thailand, where the third season of the hit Max series was filmed. “It was the greatest honor to be part of this show as my first acting gig alongside such incredible actors. And I’m so proud to be able to share my culture and show the beauty of Thailand to the world.”
“Mook has changed my life in a way where I am learning more about myself and my capabilities,” added the K-pop star. “My Sunday nights may feel a lot emptier but closing out The White Lotus with a full heart.”
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LISA’s post comes two days after the final episode of White Lotus season three premiered on Max. On the show, the “Rockstar” singer played an employee of the fictional hotel chain’s Thailand location and starred opposite Tayme Thapthimthong — whose character Gaitok had a big crush on Mook — in many of her scenes.
In one of the photos LISA posted, Thapthimthong lies on the floor in a staging area behind the scenes of White Lotus, smiling at the girl group star’s camera. In other pictures, LISA — wearing her khaki White Lotus uniform — sits on the beach in a director’s chair, watches back one of her scenes on a tablet on set and hangs out with an adorable dog. She also included a video of herself mastering driving Mook’s scooter with the help of a few crew members, hilariously letting out an anxious screech before riding down the street.
LISA’s turn on White Lotus was just one of a few major projects she worked on during BLACKPINK’s hiatus over the past year or so. She also dropped her debut solo album, Alter Ego — which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 and featured collaborations with Doja Cat and RAYE, Megan Thee Stallion, Rosalía and more — in February.
Now that her first solo album is out and White Lotus is wrapped up, LISA will now gear up to reunite with her BLACKPINK bandmates this summer. The girl group is currently working on new music and will embark on a world tour kicking off in July, marking the foursome’s first trek since 2022-23’s Born Pink World Tour.
Turnstile has announced its first album in four years: Never Enough, the long-awaited follow-up to the hardcore band’s 2021 breakthrough Glow On, will be released on June 6, the band revealed on Tuesday (April 8). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In addition, Turnstile shared a preview […]
Blink-182 announced the dates for their 2025 Missionary Impossible U.S. tour on Tuesday morning (April 8). The late summer/fall trek will hit arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums across the country. The Live Nation-promoted outing is slated to kick off on Aug. 28 at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL and will include stops in Tampa, […]
Ravyn Lenae is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, as she scores her first career entry on the April 12, 2025-dated survey with “Love Me Not.”
Released in May 2024 on Atlantic Records, the song debuts at No. 81 almost entirely from its 6.3 million official U.S. streams (up 17% week-over-week) March 28-April 3, according to Luminate. The song was the lead single from Lenae’s sophomore album, Bird’s Eye, which she released last August.
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The Chicago native released a remix of the song, featuring Rex Orange County, in October. (Both versions of the song are combined into one listing on Billboard’s charts.)
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“Love Me Not” hits the Hot 100 nearly a year after its release after going viral on TikTok. The song picked up steam on the platform in January after users began making mashups of it with Solange’s “Losing You.” TikTokers also checked out the original “Love Me Not,” which has now soundtracked over 320,000 clips on the platform to date.
“Love Me Not” is also growing globally, rising 135-95 on the latest Billboard Global 200 chart and 200-149 on Global Excl. U.S.
“Love Me Not” was produced by DJ DaHi, Craig Balmoris and Ritz Reynolds. It earns DJ DaHi his 25th production credit on the Hot 100. He first charted via Drake’s “Worst Behavior” in 2013 and has since produced hits by acts including Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Big Sean, 21 Savage and J. Cole. Two of his entries have reached the top 10: Lamar, BLXST and Amanda Reifer’s “Die Hard” (No. 5 peak, 2022) and Lamar’s “Wacced Out Murals” (No. 4, 2024).
Balmoris adds his sixth production credit on the Hot 100 with “Love Me Not,” following four recorded by Lamar (including “Wacced Out Murals” and the No. 9-peaking “Man at the Garden” last year) and one by Hozier (“Empire Now,” 2024). Ritz Reynolds scores his first production billing on the chart.
Lenae first appeared on Billboard’s charts nearly two and a half years ago with “Skin Tight,” featuring Stevy Lacy. The track debuted on Adult R&B Airplay in November 2022 and climbed to No. 1 the following May, becoming her first leader on any list. It also reached No. 21 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. She also posted her first entry on Hot R&B Songs last August with the No. 21-peaking “One Wish,” featuring Childish Gambino.
Fifteen people have been confirmed dead and over 100 have been hospitalized early Tuesday when the roof of the Jet Set nightclub, a well-known venue in Santo Domingo, collapsed during a live performance.
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Authorities have launched extensive search and rescue efforts, with more than 100 individuals transported to hospitals across the city as emergency teams continue working to locate survivors beneath the rubble.
“We presume that many of them are still alive, and that is why the authorities here will not give up until not a single person remains under that rubble,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, director of the Center of Emergency Operations.
Among the injured is merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing when the roof collapsed, officials said.
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President Luis Abinader wrote on X that all rescue agencies are “working tirelessly” to help those affected.
“We deeply regret the tragedy that occurred at the Jet Set nightclub. We have been following the incident minute by minute since it occurred,” he wrote.
Abinader arrived at the scene and hugged those looking for friends and family, some with tears streaming down their faces. He did not speak to reporters.
An official with a megaphone stood outside the club imploring the large crowd that had gathered to search for friends and relatives to give ambulances space.
“You have to cooperate with authorities, please,” he said. “We are removing people.”
At one hospital where the injured were taken, an official stood outside reading aloud the names of survivors as a crowd gathered around her and yelled out the names of their loved ones.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the roof to collapse.
This is a developing story.