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NMIXX made history Wednesday (Oct. 16) at Billboard Latin Music Week, where they became the first K-pop act to participate in the event by being part of the exclusive K-Pop Goes Latin with NMIXX panel on how the Asian genre has exploded in the Latin market and its future in Spanish.
The female sextet, composed of Haewon, Kyujin, Sullyoon, BAE, Jiwoo and Lily, exuded charm onstage as they spoke — through a Korean interpreter, in English and some Spanish — about their taste for Latin music, their desire to participate in Latin American festivals such as Viña del Mar in Chile or Presidente in the Dominican Republic, and their desire to collaborate with stars like Rosalía, J Balvin, Gloria Estefan or Danna.
“I really like Rosalía’s music. That’s why it would be great to collaborate together someday, please, please!,” one of the members said sweetly in Spanish, drawing loud applause from the audience.
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During the conversation moderated by Billboard deputy editor Lyndsey Havens, they said that last year they were at Kamp Fest in Mexico and were “very impressed” by the “passion and hospitality” they received from their fans in the Aztec country. They also noted that they have found a great cultural affinity between K-pop and Latin music, and that they are studying Spanish to continue expanding their relationship with their fans in the region and even record in Spanish.
They premiered a fragment of a Spanish version of their song “Soñar,” which they sang a cappella. And in a lovely surprise, they also performed the chorus of Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” with a beautiful arrangement of harmonies.
NMIXX made its explosive entry into the K-pop scene in February 2022 and has been making waves globally ever since. In March 2023, their debut EP, expérgo, earned them their first entry on the Billboard 200 chart (No. 122). His third single, A Midsummer NMIXX’s Dream, surpassed one million copies sold. And his second EP, Fe3O4: BREAK, released in January 2024, cemented his growing dominance in the industry by reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. The EP also debuted at No. 2 on World Albums and No. 171 on the Billboard 200.
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
Liam Payne, the former One Direction star who eventually blossomed into a successful solo career, has died, according to CNN. He was 31 years old. According to police, he died after falling from a third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Alejandro Sanz took center stage at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week for an Icon Q&A moderated by Billboard’s Leila Cobo.
Sanz will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will broadcast Oct. 20 on Telemundo. Below, check out some of the memorable quotes from his one-on-one conversation.
On Timeless Success of “Corazón Partio”: “There are worse things in the world [than singing the song over and over]. Imagine if they didn’t ask you for any [songs]? I respect my songs a lot. I’ve never complained about a song of mine, much less about that one. I will always be grateful.”
On His Writing Process Today: “I no longer lock myself away for 14 hours a day. It’s nice to share, I like working as a team. When I want to convey something, I look deeper inside. I want to take a bit of history and tension out of the songs. I like that breath of fresh air of working with people who take me to another place.”
On His New Song “Palmeras en el Jardín”: “It’s a story of love and of wanting to change everything in your life so that someone feels comfortable. You thought you were doing a lot by planting palm trees but in the end it wasn’t enough and it turns out that you keep all the palm trees and she is left with her loneliness. That’s what the song is about.
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On His Mental Health: “I once wrote something about my mood [on ‘X’] and when I woke up in the morning, I was overwhelmed. It did help. I always wake up in a good mood… everything works for me and I love life. What I felt that day, it wasn’t sadness, no anxiety, it was an emptiness, a hole in my chest, and that’s scary. [I got out] with the help of professionals and you have to do your part.”
On Being Passionate about Music: “You have to want to make music and then people will like it. There is a lot of confusion these days with music. It has to be multicolored, varied. Imagine a city of just one color? The beauty is the colors, the different textures. That is music and that is what I am going to do all my life.”
On His Netflix Documentary: “They think I’m going to tell everything, but no. It’s going to be very interesting. We’re very happy with the team and how we managed to find a path that we all like. You can talk about everything… there’s no fear in talking about things as they are. It’s important that everything has a lesson and is useful for something.”
On Being A Businessman & Artist: “Being a businessman, being a composer and a musician don’t go together. To be a businessman you have to be a bit of a bastard or a bit witty. I admire artists who can do it, but I can’t do it myself.”
Last year, Zach Bryan saw two of his songs spend weeks atop Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart, including the 20-week chart-topper “I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves and the six-week No. 1 “Something in the Orange” (which also reached the top 20 on the Country Airplay chart). Earlier this year, he also won his first Grammy, in the best country duo/group performance category for the Musgraves collaboration.
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But during a recent interview with one of his musical heroes, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Bruce Springsteen, Bryan opened up about why he doesn’t want to be considered “a country musician.”
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“Everyone calls me it,” Bryan told Springsteen as part of Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians series. “I want to be a songwriter, and you’re quintessentially a songwriter. No one calls Bruce Springsteen — hate to use your name in front of you — but no one calls Bruce Springsteen a freaking rock musician, which you are one, but you’re also an indie musician, you’re also a country musician. You’re all these things encapsulated in one man. And that’s what songwriting is.”
Springsteen said that Bryan has been “connected to the country genre,” but also noted that after attending one of Bryan’s shows, he saw “so much — and I don’t want to call it rock — just energy in your performance. You bust all those different genre boundaries down.”
“That’s why you’re a hero to me, because no one’s ever come up to you and said you were in any sort of lane,” Bryan responded. “When I first started making music, I told Stefan and Danny, my managers, I was like, ‘I want to be in a lane where, when people look back, they can listen to my music and it’s supremely whatever you were doing.’ You were the only person in my head that has ever done that.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Bryan opened up about his own battle with imposter syndrome. Springsteen asked Bryan when he first considered himself “a serious songwriter.”
“I still don’t!” Bryan responded, saying, “To this day I have really bad impostor syndrome. But I had a lot of friends in the Navy, and we’d go out to the bars and we’d always have these times, and I’d go back to my barracks room and I’d sing about it. I never had anything else to express myself. You work so much you never really have time to talk about these things. So I’d go home and I would write, and I never in a million years thought I would become a songwriter because I never thought I had the talent. And that’s not a humble thing, it’s just I never in a million years thought I would be sitting here with you. Because we would hear your songs, and they’re beautiful and poetic and genius. When I play [my songs], I’m like, ‘There’s no way people enjoy these like they would enjoy a Dylan song or a Springsteen song or anything like that.’”
Springsteen also spoke candidly of his own feelings about songwriting, saying, “Songwriting’s hard. And I don’t think I felt really comfortable with the idea that I was writing good songs till I was about 22 or 23, when I was coming up with the songs for my first record, a record called Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., which came out in 1973.”
Springsteen also complimented several of Bryan’s songs, particularly “Revival” and “Open the Gate,” noting that they are “songs you’re gonna be singing till you are as old as me.”
Springsteen released his latest album, Only the Strong Survive, in 2022, while Bryan released his latest project, The Great American Bar Scene, in July.
Halsey is sharing how much her fiancé Avan Jogia has helped her grow. In a new cover interview with Rolling Stone UK, the “Ego” star opened up about meeting the actor in Europe. “I’d said no more f—ing entertainers,” she joked. “I’m gonna find someone and it’s either gonna be the most beautiful paediatric nurse […]
In 2016, the conservative-leaning New York Post outed Kaseem Ryan‘s career as a New York City firefighter, in which he was a 9/11 first responder and rose to the rank of captain. You see, the Post took umbrage with the “anti-cop” rhetoric in his raps and felt the need to lift the veil of the rapper known as Ka, one of the genre’s most mysterious figures.
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Ka approached rap music differently than his peers. He produced most of his songs and music videos, often during his off time from saving lives as a fireman. His words came across as brutal, humble, calm, and wise all at once. His beats evoked a cold winter night when the only people outside were the hustlers and the late-night stragglers looking for that last fix before the sun comes up and the block gets hot again. He would host pop-ups to sell his latest albums and meet his fans. Most of the time the only way to hear his music was to go to his website and buy it directly from him. And he would handle every online order himself. He was truly a man of and for the people, and he believed in the sanctity of hip-hop to his core.
In 2012, while sitting down with Out Da Box TV, Ka explained his creative process and how he felt about the state of hip-hop at the time. “I’m a purist. To me hip-hop is a beautiful artform that I feel isn’t being respected as such now,” he said before going on a minor rant about the trend of not writing rhymes popularized by acts Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. “I was taking offense to all that shit,” he added. “Ayo, B, it takes time to sculpt. [The] Sistine Chapel wasn’t done [on] how fast you could do it; the shit was done over years. David wasn’t sculpted in, you know, ‘Yo, I did that in a day.’ There’s no time on art. When I’m doing a verse, it takes me a long time to do the verse, and as far as doing the verse, I’m speaking from a lifetime of experiences. It took a lifetime to write that.”
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His approach was just as profound as his music. There are lines from his work that stick to you. On the song “I’m Ready” from his 2013 album The Knight’s Gambit, towards the end of the chorus he raps, “If judged by a scale I pray my righteousness is heavy/ I’m ready, I’m ready” in his raspy voice as if he was already grappling with the prospect of what awaits him beyond this life. I would say that his righteousness was indeed heavy, judging by the outpouring of kind words from his peers and fans alike. Frequent collaborator and one half of their group Metal Clergy, Roc Marciano called Ka his “big brother” and “guardian angel.” The Alchemist called him “a living prophet.” Fans posted pictures of themselves with him at his pop-ups and mentioned how accessible and friendly he was.
His art resonated with people because they felt the effort he put in and the pain he was holding inside. Sure, he was a captain for the FDNY, but he grew up in Brownsville during the crack era, and seemed to be working through survivor’s remorse in his music. “I wanted them to know this is personal what I’m giving you,” he said in that same Out Da Box interview. “This is blood I’m giving you. I’m not spittin’ this s–t, this is blood. I needed them to know that, to appreciate it, that if you don’t hear a lot from me, it’s because I’m pulling a lot from me and I’m actually expending a lot of energy to give you these songs. So, I just want you to appreciate it.”
And we did.An artist like Ka wasn’t defined by numbers or trophies — he was defined by the art, by the culture, by the people. In an interview with Passion of the Weiss, he spoke on living two lives and what he wanted his legacy to be. “I’m living two lives, man. I’m trying to be who I am in the day and then trying to feed my soul at night with being the artist that I want to be,” he told the outlet. “I want to respect the culture and give back what it gave to me. The reason I’m alive right now is because of hip-hop.
He continued about the music that saved his life: “It made me want to be a smarter person. It made me want to read, so I would write better rhymes. It was that important to me. It gave me drive; I wanted to be the best MC there ever was. Hip-hop don’t have a museum like this yet but if we have, I want to be a wing. I want to be my own f–king room, the Ka chamber right here. ‘At the time he was doing it, there wasn’t a lot of light on it, but yo, we went back and checked it, that s–t was incredible’ — that’s what I want. Van Gogh, he wasn’t revered, he cut his ear off and killed himself later on. That man wasn’t known until years after his death – he needed to have known what he was during the time he was alive.”
Ka leaves this life behind as being one of the best rappers of his era and as an even better man. It’s our duty now to continue to tell his story and put people on to his music, so that he can live forever.
Ariana Grande isn’t letting the Tower of Terror go down without a fight.
On the latest episode of the Las Culturistas podcast — which featured Mariah Carey as a guest — host Bowen Yang revealed that his good friend and Wicked co-star has plans in place if Disney World ever closes down the iconic ride at its resort in Orlando, Florida. “You and Ariana Grande have the same feeling about Tower of Terror,” the comedian began after Mimi said that the haunted hotel-themed exhibit was “truly a classic.”
“She has written an entire Notes app statement, a petition basically, to Disney that she has saved,” Yang continued of Grande. “She is like, ‘If you do anything to Tower of Terror in Orlando…’”
“There will be a revolt,” finished co-host Matt Rogers.
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Though Disney hasn’t indicated that Orlando’s Tower of Terror is in any danger of closing, the same ride at the company’s Los Angeles amusement park was shuttered in January 2017 and soon replaced with a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction. Just a couple months before that, Grande rode the Disneyland Tower of Terror with her mom, frequent collaborator Victoria Monét, then-boyfriend Mac Miller and more friends, as captured in photos posted online.
Elsewhere in the Las Culturistas episode, Yang recalled hanging out with Ari the day of the 2024 Grammys, where Carey presented Miley Cyrus with best pop solo performance for “Flowers.” “[Grande] was telling me — at the time, it was not official — she was like, ‘Mariah’s gonna be on the “Yes, And?” remix,’” the Saturday Night Live cast member shared. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s going to be such a gag.’”
“I just remember it being such a nice moment where everyone in the room was so happy for you,” Yang continued of watching the Grammys with Grande as Cyrus fangirled over Carey.
“It really was a nice moment, even all the history we have with the Grammys,” Carey added pointedly, laughing.
Listen to Yang and Rogers talk about Grande with Carey below.
Mexican music star Pepe Aguilar took the spotlight at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week for an Icon Q&A, in conversation with Billlboard‘s Leila Cobo.
The “Por Mujeres Como Tú” singer spoke at length about his iconic career, legacy, his family dynasty — he is the son of regional Mexican royalty Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — and why, after being signed to major labels at the beginning of his career — he decided to go and stay indie.
Pepe Aguilar will receive the Hall of Fame Award at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will broadcast Sunday (Oct. 20). Below, the 8 best quotes from his Icon Q&A:
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On being a workaholic: “I’m a workaholic, what can I say. But the last 20 years of my life, I had dedicated myself 100% to guide and focus on my kids’ careers. I thought I was still doing my thing but I was very focused on them. Now that they are on their own, I will return to focus on my career. I believe in discipline, I believe in work and gratitude in the work culture.
What his new single “Cuídamela Bien” is really about: “It was not dedicated to my son in law (Christian Nodal), but I think it is about a moment in my life. Of course it has to do with my daughter and her wedding. It is something totally new for me, I had never experienced that. After 20 years of being with your child, suddenly bye, it is a life experience that had not touched my life, what better than to express it through music, you already fulfilled as a father now it’s her turn to live her life.”
Ángela Aguilar & Nodal being a power couple: “I love it and I told Christian, if you get to be together, who else is there like you two in Spanish-language music. Christian never ceases to amaze me, for good, I can see the love he has for my daughter.”
His passion for music and business, and passing it on to his children Ángela and Leonardo Aguilar: “I eat, I dream of music, the spectacle and I don’t plan on doing anything else. I don’t know if I’ve been doing this the right or wrong way but I’ve always been involved in everything. In fact the cover art of ‘Cuídamela Bien,’ I did it on chat GPT. I produce my records, I design my shows, I pay for my jaripeo shows, that’s how I taught my children too and now with me, they are the same. They’ll say, ‘Dad this is my idea, whether you like it or not.’ They are doing their life according to how I educated them.”
Going and staying indie: “I once got out of a record deal through a lawsuit, I beat them, owing them 12 albums, and I got out. People would say, ‘He’s ungrateful’ but there’s more context to that case. They did not do a good job for me. Now I sign different deals but none with exclusivity, only licenses.”
His bucket list: “To take my jaripeo-style show to Europe, and not only to Spain, is a goal that seemed unattainable, and also to take it to Asia. Mexicanidad has no borders, the folklore of each country has no borders. I am going to do cumbia, tango, vallenato, flamenco, albums and visualizers, with different artists. It may be one of the most important projects but my jaripeo-style show is one of my greatest achievements, my father would have been happy and proud.”
On his family dynasty: “My father taught us that everyone had their own story. I follow Mexican music because I believe in Mexican folklore, not because my father taught me to. Having that last name was a blessing and a curse because the common denominator was Antonio Aguilar and Flor silvestre, it was always a tremendous pride to be their son. For me it was normal to grow up in the family of two famous people, normal to get to the Madison Square Garden often. I never felt it was a competition with my dad, especially when my dad was 87 years old and I was in my prime, it’s not about comparisons. With my children it’s the same. Even if they have the same last name, people don’t do favors, people will consume what they actually like, whatever your name is, they will support you.”
What’s coming up: “I have a new album coming out, and ‘Cuídamela Bien’ was the first single of this album. There’s a lot of music coming, a lot of touring with stops in South America as well.”
The 2024 Billboard Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.
FloyyMenor is continuing to make waves with his Chilean reggaetón, highlighted in his viral hit “Gata Only” — which has become a sensation on TikTok and the Billboard charts — as well as his debut EP, El Comienzo.
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The 2024 breakout Chilean star recently stopped by the Billboard offices to discusses his creative journey and aspirations in New York, his first visit to the bustling metropolis.
“When I was a kid, my dream was always to speak English and come to the United States,” FloyyMenor tells Billboard Español, recalling his childhood dream, now a reality as he experiences the city that matches the movies he watched growing up. To top that off, on Friday (Oct. 11), he made history as the first Chilean to illuminate the Empire State Building in the colors of his national flag.
His musical success began with tracks such as 2023’s “Pa la Europa,” and soared with “Gata Only,” a collaboration with fellow Chilean artist Cris MJ that turned them into brothers in music and made chart history. Impressively, the track became the first by Chileans to enter the top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Latin Songs chart in 25 years, since La Ley and Ednita Nazario’s “Tú Sabes Bien.” It also spent 14 consecutive weeks at No. 1.
Having debuted his EP El Comienzo in August, FloyyMenor explores the roots of his career intertwined with fresh sounds, featuring songs such as “Peligrosa” and “Apaga el Cel.” The album speaks volumes of the beginnings, yet each track boldly steps into broader, international realms. “We’re going to keep breaking [records] and making hits; this is also just the beginning, like my album says,” he adds.
FloyyMenor will be joining Billboard Latin Music Week. On Friday (Oct. 18), the singer-rapper will perform at the Billboard Latin Music Week 35th Anniversary Celebration! presented by Smirnoff Spicy Tamarind, alongside Belinda, Elvis Crespo, Tito Double P, Young Miko and comedy set by George Harris at The Fillmore Miami Beach. Get your tickets here.
Watch the full interview above.
When John Anderson showed up in Nashville in 1972, he wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and he barely tried to imagine what the future might hold for him.
He got a job nailing shingles onto the roof of the Grand Ole Opry House ahead of that iconic building’s 1974 opening. And the green 17-year-old performed almost anywhere that would take him.
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“I was just wanting to play and sing pretty much at any level that I could,” he remembers. “Thankfully, I was blessed that one little job led to another one, and most of the time it was kind of a little upgrade.”
Anderson’s career gets the ultimate upgrade when he’s installed in another iconic venue later in October, joining Toby Keith and guitarist James Burton as 2024 inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame. The official medallion ceremony includes the unveiling of a bronze plaque that will hang in the museum’s rotunda, alongside the renderings of its existing 152 members, including Hank Williams, Willie Nelson and Reba McEntire.
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Anderson isn’t the flashiest personality to join the club. He didn’t fill stadiums like Garth Brooks, show up in the tabloids like Tanya Tucker or become a movie star like Kris Kristofferson.
But, like most of Hall of Famers, Anderson owned a singular vocal personality — a smoky, back-of-the-throat tone that suggested worldly experience even before he had much. Also, like most Hall of Famers, he applied that sound to some indelible recordings, including the optimistic, Dobro-flecked “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal (But I’m Gonna Be a Diamond Some Day),” the cautionary “Straight Tequila Night” and the bluesy million-seller “Swingin’.”
The voice was so country that even in his 20s, Anderson could believably convey wistful nostalgia in the ballads “1959” and “I Just Came Home To Count the Memories.” He approximated an R&B singer in “She Sure Got Away With My Heart,” evinced stone-cold hillbilly in “Wild and Blue” and growled his way through the rocking energy of “Money in the Bank.”
But the setting never mattered. The listener always knew whose voice was straining through the speakers. “I’ve been very fortunate that I could sing a lot of different kinds of songs as well as write different kinds,” he says. “Actually, I think my voice allowed me to be really versatile.”
Naïveté likely helped Anderson on his career path. His older sister, Donna, had already moved to Music City from their Florida home, and her tales from the club scene provided extra encouragement. But it wasn’t like his Apopka, Fla., education provided much of a blueprint for navigating Music Row, and his parents didn’t have any solid advice either.
“My dad,” Anderson says, “said, ‘Well, son, all I can say is, if you’re going to go try to do it, do the very best you can.’ ”
Early in his transition to Tennessee, he started meeting songwriters and realized that composing songs provided another source of income. Writing also gave him the opportunity to tailor songs to his blue-collar resonance, and to sort through issues that had personal meaning. He did that most successfully with “Seminole Wind,” a 1993 Country Music Association Award nominee for song of the year. It explored real concern for the environment in his Central Florida homeland, leaning sonically on the state’s strong Native American history. The recent devastation of hurricanes Helene and Milton underscores the song’s still-relevant lyric.
“Climate change has a little to do with it, but human encroachment has more to do with it than anything,” he says. “I love nature and wildlife, and so many places I’ve seen, I thought, ‘Boy, this is one of the most beautiful places.’ Go back in 30 years, and it could be a strip mall or a neighborhood, and that’s a bit of what ‘Seminole Wind’ is all about. Don’t get me wrong — I guess we all need our houses and our malls, and the more people that come, the more space we’re going to take up. That’s just the way it is. I’m not bitter and I’m not mad, but it does make me a little sad.”
Anderson’s career is a textbook example of resilience. After racking up a dozen top 10 singles — including three No. 1s — from 1980 through 1986, he was absent from that tier of the country list for the next five years. But “Straight Tequila Night” revitalized his career in 1992, becoming his first No. 1 in nine years and the first of eight more top 10 singles.
Unlike the character in “Would You Catch a Falling Star” — a country star grasping at past glory — Anderson has fashioned his 21st-century career in a way that allows him to keep a relaxed touring schedule. He plays just enough acoustic shows to keep the chops up and to scratch the performing itch, but not so many that it becomes a chore. The travel involved in touring is physically taxing, and by singing “Would You Catch a Falling Star” for decades, he gave himself regular reminders over the years to plan for the future he’s now enjoying.
“I didn’t want to be the guy in that song,” he says, half laughing, half serious. “Trust me, I’ve seen several in the last 50 years.”
But Anderson also witnessed — and even befriended — some of the stars who entered the Hall of Fame in years past. He ticks off a string of names that already have bronze plaques in the museum’s rotunda that he had a personal relationship with: Little Jimmy Dickens, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Even though he didn’t know what he was doing when he arrived in Nashville in 1972, Anderson clearly figured it out, joining a club beyond anything he dared to dream in those early days.
“I was able to become friends with all those people,” he reflects. “I’m really, really surprised that I ever made it in here. On the other hand, I don’t feel that out of place, because I can almost hear Ernest Tubb and Minnie Pearl and Loretta Lynn saying, ‘You come in here. We got a place for you.’ ”