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The convergence of film and music as powerful vehicles for cultural storytelling took center stage on Tuesday (Oct. 21) at Billboard Latin Music Week 2025.
Presented by Sony Pictures, Sony Music Latin, and Rancho Humilde, the “Shaping the Future of Film and Music” panel at the Fillmore Miami Beach brought together industry leaders Afo Verde (chairman and CEO, Sony Music Latin Iberia), Jimmy Humilde (CEO and founder, Rancho Humilde), and Sanford Panitch (president, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group). Moderated by Billboard’s Leila Cobo, the panel unpacked strategies and collaborations between music and cinema that highlight cultural movements and elevate underrepresented communities.
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For Humilde, the explosive growth of Rancho Humilde during the pandemic fueled the idea of creating a platform for storytelling through film. “When COVID happened, my business partner Jay Dee [of Herencia de Patrones] and I sat there coming up with what’s next,” he said. “The world stopped — that’s when Rancho Humilde was born. [We went] from millions to hundreds of millions, where everyone was hearing what we were doing, but no one really understood our culture.” This realization set the stage for Rancho Humilde’s entry into filmmaking.
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Humilde envisioned this as a celebration of Mexican-American culture, not confined to any traditional genre or region. “Everyone wants to put us in a box, in a space that we can’t grow out of. But we’re saying, no, this is the time. This has been done in pop, hip-hop, rap, in films like Boyz n the Hood and Friday with Ice Cube. Now we need to have it in Latin music.”
“Hollywood has had an incredible history of transferring the electricity of an artist to an actor,” Panitch remarked. “Latino audiences make up 30 to 40% of the box office on every movie, which reflects the incredible opportunity to tell fresh, authentic stories that resonate.” Humilde added, “The big percentage of moviegoers are Latinos. Thank God that the majority are Mexican Americans, 65% in the U.S. — people we need to serve. Not just Mexicans, but all Latinos, period.”
Afo Verde highlighted how music and cinema represent a natural evolution of artists’ creative expressions. “In the ’50s, [artists] needed to sing in recording studios; in the ’60s, they had to play instruments; in the ’70s, they learned how to tour; in the ’80s, the [music] video came out; and later, it was social media. It’s common to ask how things evolve, and now, it’s filmmaking. Not every artist will become an incredible actor, [but exploring film] is a great outlet for creativity and reaching audiences in new ways.”
Latin Music Week coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock.
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On Tuesday (October 21), Argentina and Colombia united for Billboard Latin Music Week in a conversation where two superstars of Latin American folk music shared their experiences: Soledad and Silvestre Dangond.
During the panel “Desde La Raíz” (“from the root” in English) moderated by Ezequiel Ruiz of Billboard Argentina, the award-winning Argentine singer-songwriter and the Colombian vallenato star discussed the importance of preserving original sounds.
“It’s important that there are purists. [At first] they told me I was killing vallenato. However, that kept me going and brought me to where I am,” said Dandong proudly. He has brought his own style to the genre across the 18 albums that make up his discography, always including at least two native songs. “That’s how I grew up; I grew up watching the great exponents of vallenato. I lived it and I breathe it.”
For her part, “La Sole,” as many call her, shared how she began to carve out a space for herself in the industry. “I come from a small town, where musical culture is very strong,” said the artist born in Arequito, in the Argentine province of Santa Fe. “When the big names were no longer around, I thought I could have a place, my own place, but continue that legacy,” she recalled, thanking her father for buying the 5,000 records ordered by the first record label that signed her (Sony Music) to continue her contract. “He borrowed money to solve it at the time. My old man always believed in me, and to this day, I write songs dedicated to him.”
Have you played Billboard’s Latin Music Week Crossword?Play now!
Both figures agreed on the reason they represent their countries through their voices: to love what they do, honor it, and enjoy it. However, they have very personal views on the future of folk music.
In Soledad’s case, she admitted that she’s more open to the music being made by young people in Argentina today. “Sometimes there are things I don’t like as much,” she confessed, “although I must admit that some people look to folklore for elements to fuse with their sounds.”
With his characteristic laid-back personality, Dandong stated that he isn’t critical of the music currently being made in Colombia. “I also did what I wanted; age defines what one sings. Let’s let people mature and let’s do less criticism and more accompaniment,” the singer emphatically declared. In recent months, he has released collaborations with Emilia, Banda MS, and Carín León, demonstrating his openness and interest in conquering and experimenting in new markets.
Spanning more than 30 years, Latin Music Week is the single-most important and largest gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. This year’s star-studded lineup includes Aitana, Alofoke, Anuel AA, Bebeshito, Carlos Vives, Carín León, Danny Ocean, DJ Khaled, Daddy Yankee (DY), Emilia Mernes, Ivy Queen, Gloria Estefan, Grupo 5, Kapo, Laura Pausini, Luck Ra, Netón Vega, Olga Tañón, Óscar Maydon, Ozuna, Pablo Alborán, Rawayana, Suzette Quintanilla, Tokischa, Xavi and Yailin La Más Viral, to name a few.
Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2025 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set to air Thursday, Oct. 23, on Telemundo and Peacock, where Bad Bunny will be honored as Top Latin Artist of the 21st Century.
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Last week was all about the history: In its debut frame, Taylor Swift‘s The Life of a Showgirl album set single-week records for most units moved (4.002 million) and most copies sold (3.478 million) — while also notching all 12 of its tracks in the top 12 of the Billboard Hot 100, led by first single “The Fate of Ophelia.”
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This week? Showgirl is still showing out, holding atop the Billboard 200 and claiming 12 of the top 14 spots on the Hot 100. But the counting numbers are a little more modest now — 338,000 units for the album in week two, a significant drop from week one (albeit still one of the top five weeks for any album so far in 2025).
What do we make of those first-week numbers? And what would we advise Taylor to do for the rest of 2025 if we were on her team? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.
1. Taylor Swift holds atop the Billboard 200 with 338,000 second-week units moved by her The Life of a Showgirl album. Is that Week Two number lower, higher or about what you would have expected?
Katie Atkinson: Where I would have expected. That would have been an exceptional week 1 number for almost every non-Taylor artist, so while you could focus on the album’s precipitous drop from the 4 million-plus mark, it’s just as easy to frame it as an impressive stand-alone week outside the context of her history-making debut. The higher you climb, the harder… you know the rest.
Stephen Daw: It’s slightly lower than I would have expected. A big drop-off was guaranteed — when you break through the ceiling of first-week sales like Showgirl did, there is nowhere to go but down — but this one is slightly steeper than I would have anticipated. In its second week, Tortured Poets moved roughly 100,000 more units that Showgirl has here, which may have more to do with Swift front-loading the number of album variants on offer for this LP’s rollout than anything else. But either way, this album having the fifth-biggest week of any album in 2025 in its second week is still an accomplishment that only Taylor Swift could achieve in 2025.
Kyle Denis: Much lower, considering this is her lowest second-week units total since 2020’s Evermore (not counting re-recordings). Given the plethora of available formats, constant buzz and conversation and a lead single that didn’t immediately tumble from the top, I thought 350,000 would be the absolute lowest Showgirl pulled in its second week.
Joe Lynch: Between “about what I expected” and “higher.” Much to-do was made of Swift hitting that insane four-million mark thanks to variant versions, so I was genuinely curious what week two would look like. In 2025, 338,000 units is a first-week home run — in fact, it’s the fifth biggest week of the year so far — so it’s an incredible showing for week two.
Andrew Unterberger: Definitely lower, but it makes sense. Swift was clearly pulling out all the stops for that first-week number to be as high as it could possibly be — and she certainly got one higher than I believed was possible. Meanwhile, she knows week-two numbers aren’t nearly as much of a topic of conversation, and (correctly) figured that the streaming numbers would be massive enough to keep her instilled atop the Billboard 200 for some time to come regardless.
2. In addition to still rating atop the Billboard 200, Swift also reigns for a second week on the Hot 100 with “The Fate of Ophelia,” while still commanding 12 of the top 14 spots on the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how impressive do you consider that second-week chart dominance?
Katie Atkinson: 10. Commanding eight of the top 10 in the second week of an album is certainly unprecedented. The most interesting part about this week two lineup is seeing how the songs shuffled around a bit. We still have the same four highest tracks (“Ophelia,” “Opalite,” “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Father Figure”), but then “Wi$h Li$t” slots in front of “Wood,” the title track leapfrogs “Actually Romantic,” and “Eldest Daughter” swaps with “Cancelled!” Since it’s not a “listening to the track list in order” situation, we can get a better idea of what songs are settling in as repeat Swiftie favorites.
Stephen Daw: 9.5. This, to me, is the vastly more impressive feat that Showgirl has accomplished this week. Tortured Poets managed to hold onto the No. 1 spot and the lowest-ranking slots on the Hot 100 in its second week, even with massive sales numbers. While the songs off Showgirl might not have too much competition for the top 10 the way Poets did — it was up against newer, year-defining hits like “A Bar Song” and “Espresso” — the fact that Taylor has managed to keep a grip on eight of the top 10 spots is a massive deal, and one that no other artist today could accomplish.
Kyle Denis: 8. The first time Taylor clogged the Hot 100’s top 10 (Midnights), she only claimed four of those spots by the second week. When she did it again with Tortured Poets, she held onto just three of those spots the following week. Maintaining nearly the entire top 10 — barring the summer-dominating hits “Golden” and “Ordinary” — with an album that was arguably received even worse than her last two is definitely impressive.
Joe Lynch: 10. Keeping this much of the Hot 100’s top slots on lock for the second week is unheard of, literally—this is the first time an artist occupied 12 of the Hot 100’s top 14 spots in the second week of their album’s release. Prior to Showgirl’s drop day, I listened to many people ask incredulously, “How much bigger can she actually get?” We might not have the final answer to that question for a while, but for now, it’s clear Swift is still rising.
Andrew Unterberger: 9. It shows that not only did she claim all 12 of the top 12 spots last week, she grabbed them by the throat — by enough of a margin that her numbers could fall dramatically (as they inevitably did in the set’s second week) and still maintain a chokehold on the chart’s top tier. Staggering stuff.
3. Beyond “Ophelia,” does there seem like an obvious second hit off the album to you? Or does the way the album was released discourage any additional hits from breaking out from the larger album?
Katie Atkinson: This one has to go to “Opalite.” Once again using my kids as my own in-house focus group, my third-grader says this is the one his teacher is playing in class when they get to listen to songs on Fun Friday and that all the girls in his class have created a dance to it. I don’t think we need further proof that this is next in line for the radio/TikTok push.
Stephen Daw: While I would normally say that the rollout strategy means more hits are unlikely from this album, I can’t help but look at past Taylor songs like “Cruel Summer” — or even Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” from last year — and think that another massive hit is certainly possible. Just by the numbers on both streaming services and the charts, it seems like fans are signaling their interest in “Opalite” as the follow-up single, which makes sense to me — it’s bubbly, light and fits within the broader landscape of the pop space right now.
Kyle Denis: Right now, I’m leaning towards “Opalite” and “Wood” being Showgirl’s follow-up hits. Regardless, any post-“Ophelia” hit will probably need an attention-grabbing remix and music video to truly get off the ground.
Joe Lynch: “Opalite”! Perfect pop song, begging to be released as a single (and I’m sure it will be). The Sabrina Carpenter-featuring title track certainly seems primed for the single treatment — particularly with a clever, Easter egg-stuffed music video — but my money is on “Opalite,” a sturdy song constructed for repeat listens and the radio, as the next single.
Andrew Unterberger: It’s “Opalite.” If you came to Showgirl for pop bangers — as millions and millions undoubtedly did — this is the breezy brain-sticker for you, for sure. Even with the title.
4. If you were on Taylor Swift’s team, what would you recommend she do in the next couple months to extend the lifespan of Showgirl? Or do you think she’d be better off retreating back to the shadows a little and not continuing to push it with the album?
Katie Atkinson: Retreating to the shadows? No thank you! Taylor doesn’t need to continue her media tour or anything, but I’m looking forward to seeing some of the visuals from The Release Party of a Showgirl theatrical release online or in some other venue and I’m very much hoping we get a strong second single (if not two), à la “Karma” from Midnights or “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from Tortured Poets. I’m definitely not done with this album cycle, and I’m guessing I’m not alone.
Stephen Daw: Neither Taylor nor her team need my advice. They very clearly understand that the greatest asset Taylor has working for her is the simple fact that she is the most famous person on the planet. Sure, I’ve seen plenty of Taylor-related fatigue creeping its way into the internet discourse around this project, and lots of people (including me) would prefer that Taylor take a beat before rolling out more new content, especially around this album. But the simple fact is that as long as Taylor is able and willing to keep promoting this project, her fans are clearly in the market to keep buying what she is selling. From a purely financial point of view, there is no incentive whatsoever for her to take her foot off the gas.
Kyle Denis: I don’t think she needs to do too much. Showgirl is pretty much guaranteed to stick around the top of the charts through the holiday season. I would spend the next few weeks letting “Ophelia” (and “Opalite,” to a lesser extent) do its thing on radio, enjoy the holidays with my fiancé, and enjoy 2025-26 awards season and the Super Bowl before launching a new single (preferably with a buzzy remix/video, maybe “Actually Romantic?”) around March.
Joe Lynch: I think it’s probably smart to pull back a bit while still making headlines every fortnight or so via a major podcast or TV appearance or music video. She put the pedal to the metal to get to 4.002 million: you don’t want to go from 100mph to slamming on the brakes, but you’re wise to ease up on the gas pedal after demolishing the finish line.
Andrew Unterberger: I think it’d be a good call for Taylor to do a couple lower-stakes performances showcasing some of the album’s less-buzzy tracks. Maybe an SNL appearance doing acoustic versions of “Ruin the Friendship” and the Showgirl title track (with recent double-duty-puller Sabrina Carpenter in tow, natch)? She’s talked about the songs plenty at this point, it’d be nice to give those songs a spotlight moment to speak for themselves a little.
5. The Tortured Poets Department reigned for 17 total weeks — do you think Life of a Showgirl’s rule will ultimately be longer or shorter than that?
Katie Atkinson: I don’t see it hitting that astronomical number – not with the holiday music season upon us. But I wouldn’t be surprised by 10ish weeks in the top spot. Anything is possible with Taylor Swift.
Stephen Daw: I think it won’t reign as long. While the album probably has most (if not all) of 2025 locked up at No. 1, part of what helped Tortured Poets achieve its massive streak was the late year release of the album’s Anthology edition in physical copies. Taylor could pull a similar stunt and release a deluxe edition of the album with new songs, but she previously said she does not intend to do that. Based on the sheer volume of variants we have already seen from this album, I tend to doubt there are even more coming.
Kyle Denis: Shorter. I think KPop Demon Hunters will give Taylor a run for her money as holiday shopping gets under way… especially post-Halloween. There are also the very real possibilities of a massive surprise album dropping out of the sky, or the Wicked: For Good soundtrack avenging its predecessor and topping the Billboard 200. And who knows? Maybe Drake really does drop Iceman this year.
Joe Lynch: Shorter. That album had so many more tracks, which fueled The Tortured Poets Department’s chart enjambment. I’m sure Showgirl will dance atop the Billboard 200 again, but it seems unlikely it will enjoy a longer life at No. 1.
Andrew Unterberger: Longer. As I said last week, I’m done betting the under with Taylor Swift.
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Janelle Monáe has been sharing her music and acting with fans for years — but it seems that the performer has been holding out on us when it comes to another unlikely talent.
While chatting with Lucy Dacus for Rolling Stone‘s “Musicians on Musicians” series, Monáe claimed to have traveled back in time (no, really). The subject first came up when the two artists where discussing their shared love of Halloween, with the Boygenius star shouting out her past Pete Davidson, Ariana Grande couple’s costume with partner/bandmate Julien Baker.
“I’ve always loved transforming,” the Knives Out: Glass Onion star offered. “I think when I saw David Bowie — I did. I traveled back into the 1970s, and I saw him do Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. It was incredible.”
Looking bewildered, Dacus replied, “You … traveled back?”
“Yeah, I was backstage,” Monáe answered earnestly. “And I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ And so I jetted back to the 2000s, and I was like, ‘I can have the musical, make the music, create the lyrics and create community around transformation and being queer.’”
Feeling perplexed? You aren’t the only one. Many of the comments on the video centered around the Hidden Figures actress’ cosmic confession, with one person writing, “can’t believe i was here for janelle’s coming out as a time traveler.”
“lucy’s face as janelle’s comes out as a time traveler is priceless,” another viewer commented.
The “Musicians on Musicians” convo comes a few months after Dacus dropped her album Forever Is a Feeling, which followed the success of Boygenius’ Grammy-winning debut LP, The Record. Monáe last released a full-length in 2023 with The Age of Pleasure.
The multi-hyphenate is now working on writing a screenplay, which they also spoke about with Dacus. “The goal has always been to write, star in, do the soundtrack, produce,” Monáe said of the project. “A lot of things, I know, but I have to fully realize an idea, and I know that I will not stop until I get this. I wish I had some sort of pipe that I can push in my brain. Because the time that it takes … You have the idea, and to realize it, you gotta talk to all these people. I’m just like, ‘I see it!’”
Watch Monáe and Dacus’ full conversation above.
Trending on Billboard All four members of BLACKPINK have now charted songs as soloists on the Billboard Hot 100, as JISOO completes the sweep on the latest, Oct. 25-dated chart. JISOO and ZAYN’s “Eyes Closed,” released Oct. 10 via Bissoo/Warner Records, debuts at No. 72 on the Hot 100 thanks to 5.8 million official U.S. […]
Trending on Billboard Ice Cube took some time to fire back at a critic of his new song, “Act My Age,” and said the troll should get a sense of humor. Cube dropped off the music video for his “Act My Age” song with Scarface on Oct. 15, and one viral post on X noted […]
Cavin Yarbrough, half of the 1980s R&B duo Yarbrough & Peoples, has died at the age of 72. The singer-musician-producer passed away on Thursday (June 19) owing to complications from heart disease. “He was the love of my life, my protector. Now he’s my guardian angel,” Yarbrough’s wife and longtime music partner, Alisa Peoples, said […]
Pete Townshend has a simple description of The Who’s turbulent split with longtime drummer Zak Starkey: “It’s a mess.”
In a new interview with i Paper, the legendary guitarist and songwriter opened up about the chaotic sequence of events earlier this year involving Starkey’s firing, rehiring and eventual departure. Starkey, a veteran session and touring drummer, had been part of The Who’s lineup for nearly 30 years.
“I will miss Zak terribly. But quite what the story is, I don’t f—king know. I really don’t know,” Townsend admitted.
The confusion began in April when Townshend and The Who frontman Roger Daltrey made a “collective decision” to part ways with Starkey, who is the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. Days later, Townshend reversed course, stating Starkey was “not being asked” to step down. But just a month later, Townshend again changed his stance, saying, “The time has come for a change,” signaling the end of their long-running collaboration.
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Shortly after, Starkey offered his own version of events, claiming he hadn’t been “fired” but had instead “retired to work [on] my own projects” ahead of The Who’s The Song Is Over farewell tour.
The fallout appears to have been sparked by a misstep during the band’s charity performances for the Teenage Cancer Trust at London’s Royal Albert Hall in March.
“[Daltrey] came in four bars early,” Starkey told Rolling Stone in June. “But he just got lost. He blamed it on the drums being too loud, and then it got made into this huge social media thing.”
In his interview with i Paper, Townshend addressed the same performance.
“I couldn’t see anything wrong. What you see is a band who haven’t played together for a long time. But I think it was probably to do with the sound. I’ve lost my sound man as a result,” the iconic musician said.
He continued, “I think Roger just got lost. Roger’s finding it difficult. I have to be careful what I say about Roger because he gets angry if I say anything about him at all. He’ll be sacking me next. But that’s not to say that he sacked Zak. It’s a decision Roger and I tried to make together, but it kind of got out of hand.”
Despite the turmoil, Starkey says he would return to The Who if asked.
“Of course I would,” he told Rolling Stone. “I said to Pete, ‘Thirty years. In the 30 years, you put the bar so f—kin’ high. What the f—k do I do now?,’” he said. “The Who, you just don’t know what’s going to happen. If you think something is going to happen, the opposite happens. If you second guess Pete, he will play the opposite. You have to go with whatever you’re doing, and not think.”
Morgan Wallen didn’t disappoint fans on the second night of his I’m the Problem tour stop in Houston on Saturday (June 21).
After kicking off the weekend with a surprise appearance by NFL legend Andre Johnson and Houston businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale on Friday at NRG Stadium, the 32-year-old country star had more star power in store for night two.
Continuing what has become a signature grand entrance at his shows, Wallen took the stage accompanied by rap superstar Drake and baseball great Roger Clemens at the home of the Houston Texans. Dressed in a black Kid Rock T-shirt, Wallen walked out flanked by Drake and Clemens as the singer’s “Broadway Girls,” featuring Lil Durk, played in the background.
The moment was captured on video and displayed on the stadium’s jumbotron, showing Clemens handing Wallen a custom baseball jersey while a denim-clad Drake appeared to take a swig from a flask.
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Morgan also shared the walkout moment on Instagram, set to Drake’s 2011 track “Under Ground Kings.” “All summer long,” he captioned the post. Diplo took to the comments, writing, “Man can’t be stopped.”
This isn’t the first time Wallen and Drake have teamed up. In 2023, the Toronto MC featured the “Last Night” singer in the opening scene of his “You Broke My Heart” music video. The track was featured on the “Scary Hours” edition of Drake’s For All the Dogs album.
Wallen’s dramatic walkout moments at NRG Stadium have become a hallmark of his live shows, with past surprise guests including Travis Kelce, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
The back-to-back concerts in Houston launched Wallen’s 20-date I’m the Problem tour, which runs through Sept. 13 and hits 10 cities across the U.S. His next stop is a two-night run at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc., on June 28–29. The tour features an all-star lineup of supporting acts, including Koe Wetzel, Miranda Lambert, Brooks & Dunn, Ella Langley, Gavin Adcock and Thomas Rhett.
The trek supports Wallen’s blockbuster fourth studio album, I’m the Problem, which has held the top spot on the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks since its release on May 16.
Check out Wallen’s walkout with Drake and Clemens on Instagram below, and see the tour setlist here.
My main takeaway from the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards is that kids like pretty much the same musical artists as everybody else. Sabrina Carpenter won favorite album for Short n’ Sweet, just as she had won the Grammy for best pop vocal album in February. SZA and Bruno Mars won favorite female and male artist, […]
