Music

31 Jul 2024

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Plays at Kamala Harris’ Atlanta Rally: Watch the Crowd Sing Along

Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” has infiltrated election season. Kamala Harris hosted a rally as the likely Democratic party nominee in the upcoming presidential election on Tuesday night (July 30) in Atlanta, and K. Dot’s Drake diss was played at one point.

Footage from the vice president’s livestream of the rally quickly went viral on social media, with the crowd singing along to “Not Like Us” and especially joining together for the “wop, wop, wop” and “A-minor” punch lines. One male fan specifically went viral for his passion while rapping to the song.

“The way everything in this song can apply to Trump too,” a fan responded on X. “She is so smart.”

Another added a shot in at Drake: “Even in presidential rally drake getting cooked!”

Even nearly three months following the release of “Not Like Us,” the track hasn’t lost steam while sitting at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated Aug. 3. Lamar’s Drake diss has been swallowed up by other avenues of pop culture, including the political realm and the sports world.

Hip-hop was definitely in the building on Tuesday night, with Quavo also endorsing the vice president and speaking about his commitment to gun safety following the loss of his nephew Takeoff, who was fatally shot in November 2022.

“One of these issues that I care about is resolving the gun violence issues,” Quavo said to the crowd. “You can’t understand the struggle of gun violence if you not in the field or in the heart of it. So, one thing I learned from working with Vice President Harris is she always stand on business. From inviting me to the White House last year to discuss these solutions, to passing the biggest gun safety laws today.”

Megan Thee Stallion also hit the Atlanta rally stage in a blue pantsuit with her dancers, where she performed hits such as “Body” and the Yuki Chiba-assisted “Mamushi.”

“Now I know my ladies in the crowd love their bodies. If you want to keep loving your bodies, you know who to vote for,” she said to kick off her performance.

It remains to be seen if “Not Like Us” will remain a part of Harris’ campaign when she heads to Philadelphia next week (Aug. 6) for a rally where she’ll unveil her VP pick, per Reuters.

President Joe Biden stepped down from the presidential race on July 21, and plenty of artists have backed Harris in her pursuit of the Oval Office, including Cardi B, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Demi Lovato, Questlove and more.

31 Jul 2024

50 Cent Describes Initially Being Left Off 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show Roster: ‘Eminem Wouldn’t Do It Without Me’

If you don’t remember 50 Cent‘s name on the original lineup of artists for the iconic 2022 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem that’s because, according to 50, “they” didn’t want him there.

In a new feature in The Hollywood Reporter, 50 goes into detail about the drama behind the scenes of the Super Bowl LVI performance that featured him as a surprise guest, but which he said almost didn’t happen. “They wanted to leave me out of it. They didn’t want me there,” 50 said, echoing a since-deleted Instagram post from Sept. 2022 in which he said, “[Eminem] is the man, he wouldn’t do the show without me,” after the performance won three Emmy awards; rapper N.O.R.E. also mentioned the initial snub on his podcast around the time.

Asked who “they” were, 50 said it was Jay-Z’s Roc Nation who didn’t want him on stage that night. “Eminem wouldn’t do it without me,” 50 (born Curtis Jackson) reiterated about Marshall Mathers, who first signed Jackson and helped him release his smash 2003 debut studio album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’. “That’s how I ended up on the show because he was not coming if I didn’t do it. When that happens, you go, ‘Damn, so you just lost Eminem because you didn’t bring 50? Damn. All right. Bring 50 then.’ But if it was up to them, they would not have me there. I’m the surprise. I’m not on the bill at all. But they couldn’t get Em to do it without me.”

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The long history of mutual admiration between the two MCs will extend into the future thanks to an upcoming project from 50’s G-Unit Film and Television company, which he said is developing a series based on Em’s 2002 8 Mile feature film. “50 is like a brother to me,” Eminem told THR. “50 has proven again and again that there’s really nothing he can’t do, and nobody gets in the way of him getting it done.”

The story also notes that 50 is expanding his already sprawling TV holdings with an animated series for Amazon Freevee called Lady Danger Agent of B.O.O.T.I. featuring Nicki Minaj. “He’s a blueprint to what resilience looks like,” Minaj said of 50, whose expansive TV portfolio includes the six-season Starz hit Power — and spin-offs Ghost, Raising Kanan and Force — as well as another Starz series, BMF and upcoming shows including the boxing drama Fightland and Queen Nzinga, about an African warrior queen.

“Whenever he’s been counted out in the real world or within the entertainment business, he’s risen to the occasion and come out triumphant. He’s smart. He’s a businessman,” Minaj added. “I can see past the ‘funny 50’ — I see a very deep thinker. He’s honest. He’s mastered the chess game of reinvention throughout many eras of music, entertainment and social media. Yet he still somehow always seems to remain authentic. That is a very difficult feat.”

50 also said he’s launching his own FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel, building his own film studio in Shreveport, LA and working on a novel about a Black female Texas Ranger.

31 Jul 2024

Zach Bryan Tops June Touring Report With Almost $69 Million

Zach Bryan rules Billboard’s June Boxscore report with 10 shows from The Quittin’ Time Tour. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Bryan grossed $68.9 million and sold 340,000 tickets in June.

It’s the first monthly win for Bryan, after scaling as high as No. 2 in March, seated behind Bad Bunny. He clocked two more top 10 placements in April (No. 10) and May (No. 4) before hitting the summit. Following Morgan Wallen (April 2023), he is only the second country artist to top the list.

The Quittin’ Time Tour has earned $184 million and sold 929,000 tickets since launching on March 5, current through the end of June. Barely past its halfway point, the trek has already quadrupled the gross of Bryan’s Burn Burn Burn Tour from last year, which itself had quadrupled 2022’s The American Run Tour. In two years, he has multiplied his average per-show gross by more than 14, up from $292,000 in ’22, to $4.3 million.

Coldplay is June’s runner-up, logging its third month at No. 2, in addition to its three months at No. 1. During the month, the British rockers grossed $68 million and sold 576,000 tickets.

The band’s consistency – six months in the top two, plus eight more elsewhere in the top 10 – has paid off: the Music of the Spheres Tour has grossed $875.8 million and sold 8.2 million tickets since launching in March 2022.

Both the tour’s gross and attendance are the second biggest in Boxscore history. Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour (2018-23) grossed $939.1 million, and Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour (2017-19) sold 8.9 million tickets. With more dates scheduled, Coldplay is likely to overtake both by the end of the summer.

The major asterisk for these all-time highs is that Taylor Swift has not reported figures for The Eras Tour. Billboard estimated more than $900 million in the bank and over four million tickets sold by last November. Since then, she’s performed in Asia, Australia and Europe, with a return to North America scheduled for the fall, meaning that she is likely far beyond $1 billion and nearing Sheeran’s attendance total to boot.

While Bryan leads Coldplay on Top Tours, they reverse fortunes on Top Boxscores, with the latter’s three shows at Groupama Stadium in Lyon, France, ($22.6 million, 165,000 tickets) beating the former’s double-header at Mile High Stadium in Denver ($20.5 million, 110,000 tickets). The Lyon venue rules Top Stadiums.

Both acts litter the rest of Top Boxscores, with Coldplay appearing four times in the top half, and Bryan totaling six entries. That’s each artist’s entire slate of shows from June, dominating the chart in stadiums – Coldplay in Europe and Bryan in the U.S.

In a first, the entire top 10 artists – Bryan, Coldplay, P!nk, Dead & Company, Aventura, Justin Timberlake, Kenny Chesney, Chris Brown, Green Day and Luke Combs – boast grosses of $30 million or more. Nine tours had done it in August and September 2022, and again in June and July 2023.

Further, the entire Top Tours chart is stronger than ever. German singer Roland Kaiser rounds out the list at No. 30, via $11.5 million from nine shows. That’s higher than the bottom of the list has ever been, outpacing the $10.8 million from Marco Antonio Solis last September. June marks the second month since the charts launched in 2019 that all 30 ranked tours reported grosses of $10 million or more.

June’s top 30 artists mix veteran artists such as Dead & Company, Billy Joel and Luis Miguel with fresh faces including Bryan, Feid and Noah Kahan. Classic pop groups make their mark, as Girls Aloud’s 2024 reunion lands at No. 14 with $19.1 million and Take That’s U.K. tour continues at No. 26 with $13 million.

The top-grossing venue of June is Las Vegas’ Sphere. The room hosted 10 shows across four weekends with artist-in-residency Dead & Company. The supergroup brought in $50.2 million and sold 162,000 tickets, enough to land at No. 4 on Top Tours and sprinkle Top Boxscores at Nos. 4, 5 and 8.

Up 38% from May, it’s Sphere’s second consecutive month at No. 1, with its one-of-a-kind concert experience driving high ticket prices. Madison Square Garden out-sold Sphere by more than 80,000 tickets and grossed about $12 million less, with the latter nearly doubling MSG’s average ticket ($309 vs. $156).

The lower-capacity venue charts are dominated by Glasgow (OVO Hydro), Atlanta (Fox Theatre) and Las Vegas (Dolby Live and Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas). Historically blocked by larger venues on the 5,000-capacity-and-under ranking, Encore Theater scores its first month at No. 1 on the new chart that breaks out venues with a cap of 2,500 or less.

31 Jul 2024

Keith Urban, Ashley McBryde and More Set to Perform at 2024 ACM Honors

Eric Church, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde, Darius Rucker and Keith Urban are the first performers announced for the 2024 ACM Awards, which will be presented on Wednesday, Aug. 21 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis are set to host the event, which will pay tribute to this year’s previously-announced honorees Walt Aldridge, Tony Brown, Luke Bryan, Alan Jackson, Shannon Sanders, Lainey Wilson and Trisha Yearwood.

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Pearce is hosting for the fourth straight year. Davis is the reigning ACM song of the year winner, having won at the May 16 show for co-writing “Next Thing You Know” with Josh Osborne, Chase McGill and Greylan James.

Brown has worked closely with both Harris, for whom he played piano, and Gill, for whom he produced many recordings, including one that won an ACM Award – “Building Bridges,” a 2006 collab with Sheryl Crow which was voted vocal event of the year.

In addition to performing on the show, Hubbard will present the ACM studio recording and industry awards portion of ACM Honors, which is in its 17th year.

Additionally, previously announced artist-songwriter of the year winner Chris Stapleton and songwriter of the year Jessie Jo Dillon will be feted at ACM Honors.

Limited tickets for ACM Honors are available through AXS, including VIP packages which include a ticket in the VIP artist section of the Ryman (first seven rows), a ticket to the VIP pre-party reception, a commemorative Hatch Show Print poster, parking, and drink tickets.

31 Jul 2024

Sam Smith Enlists ‘Beautiful Soul’ Alicia Keys for New Recording of ‘I’m Not the Only One’

With a new version of their hit single, Sam Smith literally will not be the only one.

In a post to their social media on Wednesday (July 31), Smith announced that they would be releasing a new version of their In the Lonely Hour single “I’m Not the Only One” featuring R&B icon Alicia Keys. Posting a photo with Keys, Smith wrote about the singer’s support and talent, thanking her for joining them on the new version of the song.

“I’m Not The Only One feat. the truly incomparable @aliciakeys … I am so honoured to have such an incredible talent and a beautiful soul join me on this track to celebrate a decade of In The Lonely Hour,” they wrote in an Instagram caption.

This won’t be the first time the pair have sung the song together. Back in June, Smith hosted a 10th anniversary party in New York City for their debut studio album, where Keys appeared as a special guest to perform the track. “Can you believe we never did this before?” she expressed at the time. “That’s crazy!”

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The new song release comes alongside Smith’s 10th anniversary edition of In the Lonely Hour, which includes new recordings of the album’s classic tracks. For one song in particular — their singular, breakthrough hit “Stay With Me” — Smith decided to update the lyrics in order to better reflect their gender identity in 2024. “This song is truly so special to me, so for the 10 year anniversary I re-recorded the track … including the updated lyric ‘but I still need love, baby understand’ which felt really important to me,” they said of the change in a statement. “It’s beautiful to know that sometimes, we can change the past.”

Smith & Keys’ new rendition of “I’m Not the Only One,” as well as the rest of the 10th anniversary edition of In the Lonely Hour, will be released on Friday, Aug. 2. Check out Smith’s Instagram post below:

31 Jul 2024

Chart Rewind: In 1999, ‘Genie in a Bottle’ Granted Christina Aguilera Her First Hot 100 No. 1

“For us, this is the launch of a signature artist,” then-RCA Records marketing vp Nick Cucci mused in the July 24, 1999, Billboard issue of Christina Aguilera, whose eponymous debut album arrived a month later. “She’s not a quick-burn teen artist. We’re planning on her being around for a long time. We’re pursuing performance opportunities to present her as an artist of extraordinary depth.”

The following week, Aguilera, then 18, was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the LP’s lead single, “Genie in a Bottle.” Beginning with the July 31-dated chart, it reigned for five weeks.

Aguilera’s debut album subsequently launched at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 253,000 copies sold in the United States in its first week, according to Luminate.

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Per Billboard’s story, written by Larry Flick, in the July 24, 1999, issue, RCA had showcased Aguilera that June in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Las Vegas and Minneapolis, as she performed the album with only piano backing. “It was a highly effective way of presenting her,” George Harrison, then-assistant music director at KSNE Las Vegas, shared. “She has the voice of a young Whitney Houston. Midway through the first song, it was clear that she’s going to be a big, big star.”

With “Genie in a Bottle,” Aguilera unleashed her first of five Hot 100 No. 1s and 11 top 10s. Her introductory set also yielded the leaders “What a Girl Wants” and “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).”

On the Billboard 200, Aguilera boasts two No. 1s among seven top 10s, through the No. 6-peaking Liberation in 2018. Her chart history also includes her second LP, the Spanish-language Mi Reflejo, which ruled Top Latin Albums for 19 weeks in 2000-01.

Aguilera’s breakthrough sparked her best new artist Grammy Award win in 2000. Among others, she triumphed in the category over Britney Spears, with whom she starred in The All-New Mickey Mouse Club in the early ‘90s (and whose own debut album, …Baby One More Time, had soared in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in January 1999). Aguilera’s experience on the show also led to her recording “Reflections,” the theme to the 1998 hit Disney film Mulan.

“It was a great way to grow up,” Aguilera told Billboard in 1999 about being a Mouseketeer. “I got the most incredible education, both in terms of who I wanted to be as an artist and in terms of how the business works. It gave me the focus I needed to make this album.”

To date, Aguilera, who served as a coach on NBC’s The Voice in 2011-16, has sold 17.6 million albums in the U.S. Her songs have drawn 28.5 billion in radio audience and 3.1 billion official on-demand streams. Her upcoming tour dates include shows in Las Vegas and Japan, with her eight-month Christina Aguilera at Voltaire residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas running through Aug. 31.

Of “Genie in a Bottle” — which David Frank, Steve Kipner and Pamela Sheyne co-wrote — Aguilera told Billboard in 1999, “At first, I was a little afraid that some people might not completely get where I’m coming from,” referring to the song’s “occasionally seductive lyrical tone,” per Flick. (“Fueled by a chugging groove and richly layered vocals, the tune is punctuated by a breathy command to ‘rub me the right way’,” he wrote.)

“The song is not about sex,” Aguilera said. “It’s about self-respect. It’s about not giving in to temptation until you’re respected. It’s time for something different. It’s time that music make[s] kids feel confident and secure.”

31 Jul 2024

U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team Celebrate Gold Medals With Cheeky Throwback Kanye West Grammy Speech

Winning looked real good on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team when they took home the team gold in Paris on Tuesday (July 30). It sounded good too, as team members Simone Biles, Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Sunisa Lee and Hezly Rivera spent much of the day luxuriating in the golden glow of the champion’s circle with some of their favorite tunes.

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The party moved to Lee’s TikTok soon afterwards, where the fantastic five flexed by miming along to Kanye West’s infamous 2005 Grammy Awards speech for his best rap album-winning opus, The College Dropout. Staring into the camera and gesturing, Lee and Chiles mouthed, “Everybody wanted to know what I would do if I didn’t win,” before Lee swiped the scene and cut to the whole squad holding up their medals and mouthing Ye’s cocky exclamation point, “I guess we’ll neger know.”

Lee also posted a TikTok in which she showed off her gold medal while dancing in her room to the TikTok remix of Azaelia Banks’ “Luxury.” The celebration just kept rolling on, including in another video posted by Biles on her TikTok, in which the women jokingly take crunching bites out of their medals. There was also another clip in which Lee and Chiles revisited one of their favorite celebration jams by doing coordinated choreo to Megan Thee Stallion’s “Cognac Queen” in a callback to an earlier video in which they danced to the song after getting through qualifiers.

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Chiles and Megan have clearly forged a connection. Earlier this month, Chiles shouted out the Houston MC after she made the cut for the U.S. Olympic squad, telling reporters, “This was for you uncle and Megan, I’m going to the AHH-lympics!” Megan later sent Chiles a congratulatory bouquet of flowers and called the gymnast “my girllll” in a post on X.

The crew had plenty to crow about after cruising to the podium to collect their team final gold at Bercy Arena in Paris, a stellar bounce-back from their team silver in Tokyo in 2021 after superstar Biles was forced to withdraw from the team final after suffering from a scary bout of the “twisties.”

See the U.S. women’s team flex below.

31 Jul 2024

Brent Jones Earns Second Straight Gospel Airplay No. 1: ‘I’ve Been Truly Blessed’

Brent Jones banks his second total and consecutive No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart as “Live Your Best Life!” ascends to the top of the Aug. 3-dated list. During the July 19-25 tracking week, the song advanced by 3% in plays among format reporters, according to Luminate.

The single is the title cut from Jones’ 12-track album, released May 3. Jones wrote the song and co-produced it with Michael Bereal and James Roberson.

The song follows Jones’ “Nothing Else Matters (Instead of Complaining, Praise Him),” which led Gospel Airplay for a week in June 2023. “Open Your Mouth and Say Something” hit No. 9 in March 2019 and his first of four entries, “He Rose,” reached No. 17 in January 2015.

“To score back-to-back No. 1s is an amazing honor,” Jones tells Billboard. “I’ve been truly blessed in my 25-year career to reach so many audiences with my music, which includes writing songs for church, my urban group T.P. Mobb, my youth group The Fire and others.”

Jones serves as artist-in-residence at Triumph Church in Detroit. He also directs the choir.

The Los Angeles native launched his music career as leader of Brent Jones & The T.P. Mobb in the 1990s. The act posted three entries on Top Gospel Albums: its self-titled LP peaked at No. 4 in 1999, followed by Beautiful (No. 7, 2002) and The Ultimate Weekend (No. 14, 2008).

Jones has charted two solo sets on the survey: Joy Comin’ (No. 6, 2014) and Open Your Mouth and Say Somethin’ (No. 3, 2018).

31 Jul 2024

Dave Grohl Dips Into his Brat Summer By Doing Charlie XCX Viral ‘Apple’ Dance With Daughter

What’s the best way to relax after screaming your lungs out for nearly three hours to a sold-out baseball stadium full of fans? How about doing the viral dance to Charli XCX‘s Brat song “Apple?” Joining the likes of Joe Jonas, Late Show host Stephen Colbert and Glen Powell, Foo Fighters singer/guitarist Dave Grohl hopped on the trend recently in a video posted by his daughter Harper in which the family Foo bust out their best “Apple” dance.

Sitting at the kitchen table with Harper standing behind him, Grohl looks fully focused as he tries to keep up with the hand gestures, busting into a huge smile as he makes an apple signs with his fingers as Charli sings, “I split the apple down symmetrical lines/ And what I find is kinda scary/ Make me just wanna drive.” By the end, the rocker is fully cracking up as Harper flawlessly pulls off the choreo over his shoulder. The original dance was created by TikTokker Kelley Hayer, but since then it has been replicated thousands of times by fans, as well as Charli herself.

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The video is just the latest extension of what is shaping up to be a full-on Brat Summer, which has included Vice President Kamala Harris — the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee — adopting the blurry Brat Arial font and signature lime green palette to support her campaign after Charli announced “kamala IS brat.”

After rocking Great American Ball Park and Minneapolis this week, the Foos are headed to Denver’s Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday (August 3).

Watch the Grohl family dancers do the “Apple” shuffle below.

31 Jul 2024

Peso Pluma, Gloria Estefan, JOP, Mon Laferte, Danny Ocean & More Set for Latin Music Week 2024 in Miami Beach

Billboard Latin Music Week is returning to Miami Beach, taking place at The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater Oct. 14-18.

On Wednesday (July 31), Billboard also unveiled the first round of participating artists, including Bad Gyal, DANNA, Danny Ocean, Domelipa, Fat Joe, Gloria Estefan, JOP (of Fuerza Regida), Keityn, Lele Pons, Luis Alfonso, Maria Becerra, Mau y Ricky, Mon Laferte, N.O.R.E., Paola Jara, Peso Pluma, Pipe Bueno, Sophia Talamas, Yeison Jiménez and Yeri Mua. More will be announced in the coming months.

The 35th-anniversary event, which celebrates Latin music, culture and entertainment, will feature exclusive panels, conversations and performances by Latin music’s biggest stars. Tickets are available now at BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

“Latin music is living its most successful and globally recognized moment ever this year,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español. “But Billboard has been proudly at its side for over 35 years as the main flag bearer, supporter and ultimate opinion maker for Latin music around the world. During a year when Latin music is dominating the charts and the cultural zeitgeist, we are thrilled to return to Miami Beach, the global capital of Latin music, for this exciting week-long event.”

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“We are proud of the decades-long work we have done to celebrate Latin talent and bring the community together. This year’s event will be an unmatched celebration for artists, the industry and fans,” added Mike Van, president of Billboard.

The 2024 edition of Billboard Latin Music Week will spotlight a 35th-anniversary party on Friday, Oct. 18 — plus one-of-a-kind performances, workshops, networking opportunities and more throughout the week. Last year’s conference lineup featured Billboard En Vivo performances from Peso Pluma, Nathy Peluso with Young Miko and Fonseca, as well as a first-ever conversion with RBD members, a superstar Q&A with Shakira, and a premiere party with Thalia.

“Miami Beach is ready to once again host Billboard Latin Music Week, an event that truly showcases the vibrant and diverse culture of our community,” said Mayor of Miami Beach Steven Meiner. “This week not only celebrates the rich heritage of Latin music, but also highlights Miami Beach as a global destination for arts and entertainment. We look forward to another unforgettable week of music.”

This year, Billboard is introducing new GA day passes providing attendees with the opportunity to join the event on specific days when their favorite stars and industry experts command the stage with thought-provoking discussions,  performances, interactive workshops and other engaging events.

Billboard Latin Music Week will coincide with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which will air again on the Telemundo network. Closing out the packed week of events, Billboard will partner with Bresh to host the grand finale party of Billboard Latin Music Week. More details to come. (Note: Latin Music Week tickets will not include access to the awards show this year. Instead, INSIDER badge holders will receive exclusive invitations to the star-studded Oct. 18 celebration.)

Billboard Latin Music Week has been the longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world, spotlighting Latin’s top artists, actors, influencers, and industry leaders. The conference has become a must-attend event for artists, executives and players in the industry, both new and upcoming as well as established. 

For more information on Billboard Latin Music Week and the latest updates, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

Billboard Latin Music Week 2024

Billboard Latin Music Week 2024

Billboard