State Champ Radio Music
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J. Brown’s “True Love” charts a successful course to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay radio ranking as it rises from No. 2 to crown the list dated June 21. The song gives Brown his third champ on the chart. “True Love,” released and promoted through the independent label MoCha, wins the top spot […]
Fans who’ve been dying to see Bruno Mars become a Fortnite Festival Icon can now die with a smile, as the game has announced that the hitmaker is its Season 9 headliner.
Following in the footsteps of past Festival Icons such as The Weeknd, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish, Mars transforms into a playable avatar performing some of his biggest hits — including Billboard Hot 100-topping Lady Gaga collaboration “Die With a Smile” and ROSÉ duet “APT.” — on an all-new main stage, as previewed in a trailer that dropped Wednesday (June 18).
The partnership comes about three years after Mars first entered the Fortnite universe alongside Anderson .Paak as part of a Silk Sonic collaboration with the game — something Mars enjoyed so much, he tells Billboard in an exclusive interview ahead of the Festival Season 9 launch that there was no hesitation when it came to teaming up a second time. “When they hit me up again, I said, ‘Done!’” he recalls.
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“Last time we did this, there was no Fortnite Festival, so this time we get to lean even more into the music,” Mars adds. “I’m excited that we put a bunch of songs in the game that people can play to.”
Fortnite first introduced its Festival counterpart in late 2023, taking inspiration from similar music-focused games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero. It has since welcomed numerous A-list artists to serve as the face of the game over the course of nine seasons, including Gaga, Karol G, Metallica and Snoop Dogg.
Each season sees its Icon made into a digital persona that fans can also use in gameplay, complete with special outfits, accessories, instruments and emotes. In Mars’ case, fans will have access to his retro cowboy getup worn in the “Die With a Smile” music video, “APT.” kit drums and more goodies.
“It’s very fun seeing myself as an avatar,” Mars tells Billboard of the treatment. “They really nailed my body proportions — tall, chiseled,” he continues. “It’s uncanny.”
Mars’ solo partnership with the game is particularly special, however, as it coincides with the official release of his song “Bonde do Brunão” on streaming services. The track started as an idea he shared with followers on social media that ended up going viral, leaving countless fans looking for a place to listen to it in full. Now, they have multiple; in addition to appearing on DSPs, “Bonde do Brunão” is also available in-game as part of Fortnite Festival S9.
“That song was a fun idea we put up on Instagram while I was in Brazil, but then it had a life of its own,” Mars explains to Billboard. “We had this idea of making it a part of the game, and Fortnite was into it. They went all out with it and got the song, the dance and the outfit.”
Fortnite Festival Season 9 featuring Bruno Mars is available to play now.
Watch the Fortnite Festival Season 9 trailer below.
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ENHYPEN earns its third No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated June 21) as the group’s new project, DESIRE : UNLEASH debuts atop the tally. The set sold 95,000 copies in the United States in the week ending June 12, according to Luminate. In total, it’s the eighth top 10-charting effort for the ensemble.
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Also in the top 10 of the latest Top Album Sales chart, My Chemical Romance’s 2004 album Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge reenters at No. 2 (a new high) after its deluxe reissue, while the latest releases from Lil Wayne, Turnstile, Addison Rae, The Doobie Brothers, Volbeat and Marina debut in the region.
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album (TEA) units and streaming equivalent album (SEA) units.
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My Chemical Romance’s 2004 album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, returns to Top Album Sales, reentering at No. 2 (its first week in the top 10) with 37,000 copies sold (up 2,987%). The set was reissued on June 6 with refreshed audio and bonus tracks, across many variants — including nine vinyl iterations. All versions of the album, old and new, are combined for tracking and charting purposes.
Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter VI starts at No. 3 with 34,000 sold — marking the 13th top 10 album for the superstar. Rock band Turnstile nabs its best sales week ever, and highest charting album, as NEVER ENOUGH enters at No. 4 with 27,500 sold. Addison Rae’s debut full-length studio album Addison arrives at No. 5 with 23,000.
SEVENTEEN’s SEVENTEEN 5th Album ‘HAPPY BURSTDAY’ falls 1-6 in its second week (14,500; down 69%).
The Doobie Brothers notch its highest charting effort ever (and first top 10) on the 34-year-old Top Album Sales chart, as the veteran band’s new studio set, Walk This Road, drives in at No. 7 with 12,000 sold.
Volbeat grabs its fourth top 10-charting title on Top Album Sales as God of Angels Trust starts at No. 8 with 11,000 sold. Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping I’m the Problem falls 3-9 with 10,500 (down 34%) and Marina locks in her fourth top 10 with the No. 10 debut of Princess of Power (nearly 10,000).
Jeff Pardo was named BMI Christian songwriter of the year for the second time in three years at the BMI Christian Awards, which were held at its Nashville office on Tuesday (June 17). The private event was hosted by Leslie Roberts, BMI’s avp, creative.
Pardo, 43, wrote or co-wrote five of BMI’s 25 most-performed Christian songs: “Don’t Stop Praying,” “Heaven Changes Everything,” “Praise the Lord” with Jake Henry and Micah Tyler, “Running Home” and “Strong” with Anne Wilson. Pardo received a Grammy nomination in 2013 for co-writing “My Jesus” with Wilson and won two GMA Dove Awards in 2022. He has successfully crossed genres as well, working with artists such as Lady A, Ben Rector and Tauren Wells.
BMI’s Christian song of the year went to “Praise,” written by Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Stephen Furtick and Chandler Moore. The hit by Elevation Worship featuring Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore spent 31 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs chart and nine weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart.
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Leading up to song of the year, BMI named the 25 most-performed Christian songs of the previous year. The roster included 18 first-time award winners.
Capitol CMG Publishing brought home publisher of the year for representing 17 of the 25 most-performed songs of the year including “Praise” as well as “Don’t Stop Praying,” “I Believe,” “Jesus Does” and “Take It All Back.”
In addition, Jackie Patillo, president of the Gospel Music Association and the GMA Foundation, was honored with the BMI Spotlight Award. As a surprise tribute, five-time GMA Dove Awards female vocalist of the year (and nine-time Grammy nominee) Natalie Grant, performed her first recording, “I Am Not Alone.” She was accompanied by Bernie Herms.
“This is more than just a business,” Patillo said in accepting the award. “We are all making a difference and impacting culture, and that’s what we get up for every day.” Previous recipients of the BMI Spotlight Award include Dottie Leonard Miller, Randy Edelman and Frank Gari.
Special moments at the event include Roberts calling BMI’s 2019 Compass Award winner Elwyn Raymer to the stage to start the celebration with a prayer; country songwriter Jordan Rowe giving the audience a preview of his unreleased song, “Way Back;” and first-time BMI award-winner Seph Schlueter sharing his hit “Counting My Blessings.”
For a complete list of winners, go here.
Gente de Zona became the first Cuban duo to sell out the coveted Kaseya Center in Miami earlier this month, where they performed for over 14,000 fans in celebration of its 25th anniversary. The duo’s prolific career includes their breakout hit “Bailando” with Enrique Iglesias and Descemer Bueno that spent 41 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2014 and made history as the first Spanish-language video to achieve one billion views on YouTube.
Like Gente de Zona, helmed by Randy Malcom and Alexander Delgado, artists such as Osmaní García, Jacob Forever, and El Chacal formed part of the booming Cubatón movement in the 2010s, and propelled the genre (that blends Cuban rhythms with reggaetón) beyond the Caribbean island and onto its mainstream success. García teamed up with Pitbull, Sensato and Lil Jon in the 2015 hit “El Taxi,” Jacob’s “Hasta Que Se Seque El Malecón” peaked at No. 10 on Hot Latin Songs in 2016, and Chacal’s “Ay Mi Dios” in collaboration with Yandel and IAmChino reached No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart that same year.
But in recent years — especially since 2018 when public WiFi hotspots were made more accessible on the island — a large wave of artists, mainly still living in Cuba, has brought to the forefront “reparto” music, a genre that was once considered “reggaetón of the poor,” but today represents the sound of modern-day Cuba, and is gaining massive popularity.
What is Reparto?
In honor of its 25-year trajectory, Gente de Zona also released its tenth studio album called Reparto, with the hopes of “showing the world the evolution of Cuban reggaetón that defines our culture, and shine a light on the artists who are leading the authentic reparto movement,” according to Malcom in a statement.
Dale Pututi, Gente de Zona, and L Kimii perform in Miami’s Kaseya Center on June 7, 2025.
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The name derives from the barrios or housing projects in Cuba, where aspiring artists would create their own homemade reggaetón and sing about street life powered by local slang. The genre’s first exponents trace back to the mid-2000s with artists such as the late Elvis Manuel (who tragically drowned in 2008 as he migrated to the U.S. by raft), Adonis MC, El Uniko, and most notably, Chocolate MC, who cleverly added the Cuban clave to his 2010 reggaetón song “Parapapampan,” resulting in what is known now as reparto.
“The genre is known for its fusion of Afro-American rhythms and rumba elements, and its main element is the Cuban clave,” producer NandoPro (real name: Fernando Lázaro Otero Van-Caneghem) tells Billboard. “It’s evolved and now features a blend of drums derived from reggaeton, hip hop, timba, and Cuban folk music in general. But, the biggest difference is the way the lyrics are narrated. El Reparto is characterized by more aggressive, harsher and explicit lyrics, without much filtering in the language.”
Today’s reparto artists, however, are changing the narrative.
They are singing about love (Wampi’s “Roma”); making positive affirmations (El Chulo’s “Tienes Que Nacer de Nuevo”); and even empowering women (Mawell’s “La Triple M”). Others are strategically turning popular songs, such as Alejandro Sanz’s “Corazón Partío” and Akon’s “I Wanna F*ck You,” into a reparto melody.
Meanwhile, the movement is highly consumed in Peru, Spain, Miami, and has already captured the attention of non-Cuban artists, such as Nacho, Lenny Tavárez, and Sergio George, who have all collaborated with a repartero.
“The Dominican Republic has its dembow, Puerto Rico has its reggaetón — today Colombia is taking over Afrobeat, and I think that’s going to happen with Cuba as well,” Venezuelan artist Nacho, who’s currently viral with his reparto tune “Nosotros” alongside Maffio and L Kimii, says to Billboard. “Reparto is a wealth of rhythms combined: there’s son, there’s salsa, there’s timba, there’s reggaetón. There’s a bit of everything, and I’ve been in love with that genre for a long time.”
Nando, who’s produced hits for Gente de Zona, El Taiger, J Balvin, and Farruko, among others, further explains: “After 2014, many Cubatón exponents emigrated to the United States in search of international success, and many even explored other genres in search of acceptance. This left a large void within urban music in Cuba and it was the young reparto artists that filled that space. This is the evolution of music from the Cuban barrios. We still have a long way to go, but the authentic message is getting through, and artists from other countries are discovering a refreshing style they can experiment with.”
Below, meet 31 reparto artists shaping Cuba’s new urban movement:
Adonis MC
It has been (another) good year so far for Bailey Zimmerman. The country artist reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 this spring with his feature on BigXthaPlug’s “All the Way” from the latter’s forthcoming country collaboration project. Then, Zimmerman followed that with “Backup Plan,” his inspirational new single featuring Luke Combs, which became his ninth career Hot 100 entry and has reached a No. 36 high in its six weeks on the chart.
Zimmerman and Combs debuted the stomping “Backup Plan” during Combs’ headlining set at Stagecoach in April — though the song’s roots were planted well prior to that performance. According to the track’s producer, Austin Shawn, it was initially created because people compiling the soundtrack to 2024 film Twisters asked Zimmerman to send along songs for consideration. “We sent that one, but ‘Hell or High Water’ landed better for the movie,” Shawn, 27, tells Billboard.
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“Backup Plan” is just the latest extension in the winning partnership between Zimmerman and Shawn, which started with the former’s first EP, Leave the Light On, and includes the hit songs “Rock and a Hard Place” and “Fall In Love.”
Below, Shawn talks about creating “Backup Plan,” his working relationship with Zimmerman and what listeners can expect on his second album.
What did you think the first time you heard “Backup Plan”?
We heard it around early 2023, and I immediately loved the song because it reminded me of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. It had a bit of red dirt, a bit of country, a lot of the hookiness of modern country, which is exactly what me and Bailey tend to lean [to] when we make songs. The original demo was just an acoustic guitar and a vocal that Tucker Beathard [co-writer, along with Jimi Bell and Jon Sherwood] did.
Were you involved in the decision to add Luke Combs to the song?
It worked out really well because when Bailey did the vocals, we were thinking, “Who could feature?” When I finished the first rough mix on it, Bailey was like, “Should I text it to Luke?” Luke didn’t get back to him for a month — he was probably just living with it. And then he was like, “Song rips, I’m in,” out of nowhere. We had not gone to anyone else. It was either Luke or nothing.
Were you together in the studio for Combs adding his part?
Luke is, first of all, one of the best dudes in the world. I sent the session over to [his producer] Chip Matthews and then me and Bailey went over to Chip’s house and Luke cut the vocal. We spent about two hours talking and rambling on and laughing and telling jokes — and about 10 minutes doing the vocal. It was mostly just a big hangout session; barely any work was being done. Luke is so good, he can do three passes of the song, and it sounds like it’s a finished thing.
Thematically, it’s like Combs’ song “Doin’ This,” in that if being an artist is your path no matter what, you cannot have a backup plan. Is the end result similar to what the demo sounded like?
The original demo was just an acoustic guitar in a voice memo that Tucker Beathard did. Tucker is one of our good buddies, too, and we write a lot of songs with him, so he usually just plays his guitar and his vocal and sings it into his phone.
From the very beginning, the song felt like an overcoming adversity type of song, so we wanted it to be big. We wanted it to be like an anthem. We wanted it to be something that is charged up. We had to paint the picture from there and carry it into that big, beat-your-chest type of energetic song.
So that stomp feel wasn’t there, but you heard the possibility of that.
It was completely different. It was like someone sitting here in your living room just playing it for you or around the campfire. It was good, though, because the sentiment was there and it gave us all the runway to paint the picture the way we wanted to.
You’ve been collaborating with Zimmerman since the beginning. How has your working relationship evolved?
When you work on so much music together over the years, you learn how to communicate and decipher each other’s emotions, feelings, words — I know when Bailey loves a song, doesn’t love a song. He’ll know when I think a decision that he wants to make is good or when I don’t. That helps us get round the bend on songwriting, production, direction. We’re like brothers. He’s gone through a lot in his personal life; I’ve gone through a lot in my personal life. We’ve been there for each other outside music, too.
This is the second song we’ve heard from Zimmerman’s second album, Different Night, Same Rodeo, which is due out Aug. 8. Anything else you can tell us about the album?
Absolutely. A lot of the stuff is familiar, and then there’s a good batch of songs that go outside of the box where we’ve really pushed the boundaries. There’s a couple of awesome features on the record. There’s familiarity, there’s evolution and there’s a little bit of something for all demographics of music too, not just country.
A version of this story appears in the June 7, 2025, issue of Billboard.
The Golden Globes released the timeline, eligibility rules and award guidelines for the 83rd Annual Golden Globes. The show, to be hosted by Nikki Glaser for the second year in a row, is set to air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, Jan. 11, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET on CBS, and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. The show will emanate from its long-time home, the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Eligibility rules include the newly added best podcast award outlining how the top 25 podcasts will qualify with a total of six final nominations for the category. Luminate will determine qualifying podcasts.
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Nominations for the Golden Globes will be announced on Monday, Dec. 8. The full awards timeline is outlined below, and complete rules and categories can be found on the Golden Globes’ website.
The Golden Globes, which likes to call itself “Hollywood’s Party of the Year,” is the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television. Dick Clark Productions will plan, host and produce the show.
Here’s the 83rd Annual Golden Globes timetable. All dates are 2025 unless otherwise noted.
Friday, Aug. 1: Submission website opens for 2026 Golden Globes motion picture and television entries.
Wednesday, Oct. 1: Submission website opens for 2026 Golden Globes podcast entries.
Friday, Oct. 31: Deadline for motion picture, television, and podcast submissions. Entries must be completed on the Golden Globes’ website.
Monday, Nov. 17: Deadline for television and podcast nomination ballots to be sent to all voters.
Sunday, Nov. 23: Final date for television and podcast press conferences; final date for television and podcast programs to be uploaded to the Golden Globes screening platform by 5 p.m. PT.
Monday, Nov. 24: Deadline for receipt of television and podcast nomination ballots by 5 p.m. PT.
Tuesday, Nov. 25: Deadline for Motion Picture and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement nomination ballots to be sent to all voters.
Wednesday, Dec. 3: Final date for Motion Picture and Box Office Achievement press conferences; final date for Motion Pictures and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement to be uploaded to the Golden Globes screening platform.
Thursday, Dec. 4: Deadline for the receipt of Motion Picture and Cinematic and Box Office Achievement nomination ballots by 5 p.m. PT.
Monday, Dec. 8: Announcement of nominations for the 83rd Annual Golden Globes at 5 a.m. PT.
Friday, Dec. 19: Final ballots sent to all voters.
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026: Deadline for the receipt of final ballots by 5 p.m. PT.
Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026: Presentation of the 83rd Annual Golden Globes at 5 p.m. PT.
The Golden Globes are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Kesha just can’t get enough in the video for her new single, “Boy Crazy.” In the self-directed visual posted Tuesday (June 17), the pop star is surrounded by a diverse cast of men wearing varying amounts of clothing as she sits down for a feast in a rodeo-themed restaurant, where things unravel into chaos as […]
If you can’t make it to Birmingham, England on July 5 for what is being billed as the final-ever show by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath don’t sweat it, the Prince of Darkness has you covered. A video posted on Osbourne’s socials on Wednesday morning (June 18) shows a massive crowd joining the metal icon in an “ay-ay-ay” shout as the screen fills with comments from fans asking (and begging) for the Back to the Beginning show to be livestreamed.
“Your prayers answered!” reads a bold font message, followed by vintage footage of Ozzy saying “it’s time to go back to the beginning.”
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Ozzy, 76, recently said he will make it to the final show by Sabbath — with original bandmates guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Bulter and drummer Bill Ward — in their hometown of Birmingham no matter what it takes. As he trains for his first full concert since 2018 following a series of surgeries and health setbacks, Ozzy recently said on his “Ozzy Speaks” SiriusXM show that he will make it to the stage in Villa Park “by hook or by crook.”
Sabbath’s final show will feature them joined by Metallica, Mastodon, Anthrax, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Gojira, Slayer and a supergroup featuring members of Guns N’ Roses, the Smashing Pumpkins, Limp Bizkit, Judas Priest, Rage Against the Machine among many others.
The livestream ticket will cost $29.99 and include access to watch the entire show beginning at 10 a.m. ET on July 5, with VOD replay access to rewatch the whole event from July 5th shortly after the event’s conclusion until 10 a.m. ET on July 7; click here for details on livestream tickets.
Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, recently said she’d removed a band from the Back to the Beginning lineup after a dispute with the unnamed group’s manager, which made her feel “the worst way I’ve felt in years… I had a huge, huge to-do with a manager over this celebration for Ozzy and Sabbath. And it was probably the worst way I’ve felt in years. And I don’t care what this person says about me, thinks about it, because he doesn’t know me. And he’s now going around making up bulls— lies because I threw his band off the bill.” At press time it was unclear which band Osbourne was referring to.
Check out the livestream announcement below.
BTS fans’ long wait is nearly over. The K-pop supergroup’s label, BIG Hit, announced on Wednesday morning (June 18) that Suga, the final member of the group awaiting discharge from mandatory military duty in the South Korean army, is preparing to join his bandmates. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, […]
