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“Long live carranga!” shouted Sara Lu. The Carranga Kids were celebrating their big win on the reality show La Voz Kids Colombia 2024, and in the heat of the moment, that was the first thing the teenager could think to say. The other kids joined in, jumping with excitement — they all seemed to agree. After all, it was carranga that got them there.
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Almost a year and a half later, the young group — who had already released an album before joining the competition — dropped their album A Bailar Carranga (or Dance Carranga) in May and are now gearing up for a new one in the coming months, along with a collaboration with their former La Voz Kids coach and Latin Grammy winner Andrés Cepeda.
But what exactly is carranga, and how did it win over this young quartet? Born in the Cundiboyacense and Boyacá of Colombia, this musical genre blends Indigenous, African and European elements while celebrating love for the countryside, ecology, good humor and social critique, with Jorge Velosa as one of its greatest pioneers.
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Sara Lucía, who plays the requinto guitar and sings backup vocals, listens to reggaetón, vallenato, merengue, and salsa — a mix of trendy music and the sounds she picks up from her parents. But it was her grandfather who introduced her to carranga. “It’s a genre that’s purely Colombian, and we feel the need for young people to learn more about it,” says the 14-year-old.
The origins of Carranga Kids trace back to a musical tribute Contreras wanted to dedicate to his late grandfather. The group already existed, having formed during school breaks, but this would be their first big live performance.
Jerónimo Arias Villamizar (guacharaca and backup vocals) recalls that, at first, carranga wasn’t even one of his favorite types of music. But the experience of playing with the other musicians was so special that the 14-year-old decided to stay. At the time, Carranga Kids also included a set of twins who eventually left the group. They were replaced by Juan José González and Esteban de Jesús Suárez, who are 10 and 12 years old, respectively.
“I was invited during a school break, and I’ve been singing since I was three years old — thanks to my dad, who’s a mariachi,” says Arias Villamizar, highlighting that the success of Carranga Kids isn’t just rooted in their deep knowledge of the Cundiboyacense musical genre, but also in their ability to learn from other styles. For example, Jero, as he’s called, shares his deep admiration for the late Mexican legend, Ariel Camacho, leader of the popular group Los Plebes del Rancho.
With their original lineup, they recorded their first EP, Huellas Coloridas, in 2021. However, one of the prizes from the reality show was the chance to record an album with Universal Music Colombia (the other prize was 150 million Colombian pesos, roughly $35,000, which can only be used for their college education). This led to the release of their first studio album, A Bailar Carranga, in May of this year. The most popular song from the album was “Coquetica y Juguetona” (meaning “coquettish and playful”) a response to the hit “Coqueta” by Heredero, which went viral on TikTok.
The song came from a reflection by Contreras that is as simple as it is brilliant: “‘Coqueta’ is a song that men relate to, so we wanted to create a response that offered a female perspective.”
“A Bailar Carranga” and “Al Campo Me Fui” (meaning “to the country I went”) were also songs that were well-received on streaming platforms.
They haven’t even finished promoting this album, and they’re already working on their second record with Universal, which will feature Andrés Cepeda as a collaborator on a version of “Los Sabanales,” a song they performed during the final stage of the popular competition.
One of the reasons behind Carranga Kids’ success is that, as children, they can captivate both the traditional audience of the genre and younger listeners who might not typically engage with this type of music. Sara Lu also recognizes that blending genres has helped them reach new audiences, emphasizing that while carranga is their foundation, rock and urban music can also be part of their fusions.
She also hints that now that they’ve conquered Colombia — or at least a large part of the country — it’s time to expand across the continent. “There are many Latin American rhythms that are very similar, like what’s happening in Peru with its sound, which is highly globalized.” She brings up “Coqueta” again, but this time not to talk about their response song, but to emphasize how Heredero’s hit reached unimaginable places, even in Europe.
She concludes, “Now, taking carranga to the international stage is much easier.”
This story was originally published by Billboard Colombia.
Singer, songwriter, and now producer Ángela Aguilar continues to carve her own path in música mexicana as the youngest of the Aguilar dynasty. In an interview with Billboard, the 21-year-old star spoke candidly about producing her own music for the very first time and launching her producer era with Nadie Se Va Como Llegó, her latest album released May 28.
“It made me really appreciative of my father and everything he’s done for me,” Aguilar says, speaking of her legendary dad Pepe Aguilar, who had produced the her music prior to her new LP. “Have you heard of when someone pushes you into the pool so you learn how to swim? That’s what my dad did. He really said, ‘I have to focus on my album, I have a bunch of things to do, I don’t have time, why don’t you start looking for songs?’ And I was like, ok.”
The new album includes a song with Marc Anthony, the only collaboration on the 12-track set. Aguilar shares the “honest” version of how that collab came about.
“We were at a party, and when I say party, my husband [Christian Nodal] and I don’t have friends so it was just Nadia [Ferreira], Marc, me and my husband, and we were just having fun and drinking and showing each other’s projects,” she says. “Two weeks later, I received a message from tío Marc and it said, ‘Comadrita, is it ok if I bring it down two tones?’ I had not only sent him the arrangement, but the lyrics, everything. I was like, ‘At what [part] of my party did I think Marc Anthony was going to sing with me? At what part of my party did he actually sing with me?’ It was amazing.”
For the album, Aguilar — the granddaughter of the legendary Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — recruited a handful of Mexican women to help write songs, which was intentional. It’s what she’s committed to do after being “the only woman in the studio” in the making of her previous albums, and other projects she’s been a part of.
“I was recently part of my husband’s songwriting sessions and it was just me and my friend Amanda Coronel. We thought, this is strange. It’s very important to have this platform and give women a voice,” she says.
The new album comes just months after Aguilar was honored at Billboard Women in Music with the Breakthrough Award, where she gave a passionate speech about immigrant rights. “It’s very taboo to talk about things like that in awards and just anywhere,” she says. “And people tell you not to do it but again, I have a responsibility as a Mexican American to speak about injustices that are going on because it directly affects my people, people that go to my concerts and consume my music. There’s nothing worse than to not have a voice and to have people speak for you.”
Watch the interview above where Ángela also talks about an upcoming new tour and her ever-growing family that includes five new pugsitos. “The are the most precious little babies. We now have 20 dogs in total, 40 horses and I’m working on [adding] a few miniature cows, too.”
Klaine forever. Following Darren Criss‘ historic Tony Award win over the weekend, Chris Colfer shared a sweet message of congratulations on Instagram Monday (June 9), writing that he’s “so proud” of his former onscreen love interest. Posting a photo of himself and his Glee costar holding up the statuette — both men smiling wide into […]
Mau5trap will release the next volume of its long-running We Are Friends compilation albums in 2026, marking the first new edition of the series since 2023 and the first edition since the label partnered with Create Music Group earlier this year. Launched by mau5trap in 2012, the tastemaking We Are Friends has long featured music […]
Just days after performing the Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” with Olivia Rodrigo at New York’s Governors Ball over the weekend David Byrne announced his 11th solo album, Who Is the Sky? The follow-up to Byrne’s 2018 LP American Utopia is due out on Sept. 5 via Matador Records.
Produced by Kid Harpoon (Miley Cyrus, Harry Styles), the 12-track album will feature collaborations with Paramore’s Hayley Williams, St. Vincent and The Smile drummer Tom Skinner, with arrangements by the New York chamber ensemble Ghost Train Orchestra. Byrne previewed the album on Tuesday (June 10) with a video for the universalist anthem about the emotions and feelings we all share.
“Everybody laughs and everybody cries/ Everybody lives and everybody dies/ Everybody eats and everybody loves/ Everybody knows what everybody does,” Byrne sings over strummed acoustic guitar and a bouncy rhythm in the clip in which the camera scoots from left to right as dozens of people act out the lyrics and bust into an impromptu marching band performance when they’re not dancing with selfie sticks.
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“Someone I know said, ‘David, you use the word “everybody” a lot.’ I suppose I do that to give an anthropological view of life in New York as we know it,” said Byrne in a statement announcing the album and the single. “Everybody lives, dies, laughs, cries, sleeps and stares at the ceiling. Everybody’s wearing everybody else’s shoes, which not everybody does, but I have done. I tried to sing about these things that could be seen as negative in a way balanced by an uplifting feeling from the groove and the melody, especially at the end, when St. Vincent and I are doing a lot of hollering and singing together. Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously. I realized that when singing with Robyn earlier this year. Her songs are often sad, but the music is joyous.”
Producer Kid Harpoon (born Tom Hull) added, “It took me a second to realize, oh yeah, these songs are personal, but with David’s unique perspective on life in general. Walking around New York listening to the demo of ‘Everybody Laughs’ was so joyous, because it made me feel like we’re all the same – we all laugh, cry and sing. The thing about David that resonates with a lot of people is that he’s in on the joke. He gets the absurdity of it all, and all of these personal observations are his perspective on it.”
Byrne said there are “more story songs than usual” on the new album, tracks he describes as “mini-narratives based on personal experience including “She Explains Things to Me,” “A Door Called No,” “My Apartment Is My Friend” and “I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party.” The “jaunty” song with Paramore’s Williams, “What Is the Reason For It?,” is focused on codifying “love in a way logic can rarely accomplish.”
“Does it do something useful?/ Nobody understands,” goes one line from the song.
“I suspected that intimate orchestral arrangements would bring out the emotion I sense is there in these songs,” Byrne said. “It’s something that folks don’t always hear in my work, but this time for sure I thought it was there. At the same time, I also see myself as someone who aspires to be accessible. I imagined that Kid Harpoon would help with that, as well as being a set of trusted ears, since there was a lot going on. People think of producers as people who mainly make a record sound good, and Kid Harpoon did that, but he was also aware of how important the storytelling is.”
The collaboration with St. Vincent comes more than a decade after the two musicians teamed up for the 2012 album Love This Giant.
Among the other contributors to the LP are American Utopia percussionist Mauro Refosco, who has toured and recorded with Byrne for more than three decades. “At my age, at least for me, there’s a ‘don’t give a s–t about what people think’ attitude that kicks in,” Byrne said. “I can step outside my comfort zone with the knowledge that I kind of know who I am by now and sort of know what I’m doing. That said, every new set of songs, every song even, is a new adventure. There’s always a bit of, ‘how do I work this?’ I’ve found that not every collaboration works, but often when they do, it’s because I’m able to clearly impart what it is I’m trying to do. They hopefully get that, and as a result, we’re now joined together heading to the same unknown place.”
Byrne will hit the road with a new live show featuring a 13-person troupe of musicians and dancers to support the album on a world tour slated to kick off on Sept. 14 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, R.I.
Watch the “Everybody Laughs” video and check out the Who Is the Sky? tracklist and Byrne’s 2025-2026 tour dates below.
Who Is the Sky? track list:
“Everybody Laughs”
“When We Are Singing”
“My Apartment Is My Friend”
“A Door Called No”
“What Is the Reason for It?”
“I Met the Buddha at a Downtown Party”
“Don’t Be Like That”
“The Avant Garde”
“Moisturizing Thing”
“I’m an Outsider”
“She Explains Things to Me”
“The Truth”
North America 2025 tour dates:
Sept. 14: Providence, RI @ Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Sept. 16: Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center PAC
Sept. 17: Columbus, OH @ Mershon Auditorium
Sept. 19: Akron, OH @ Akron Civic Theatre
Sept. 21: Schenectady, NY @ Proctors
Sept. 23: Syracuse, NY @ Landmark Theatre
Sept. 25: Buffalo, NY @ Shea’s Buffalo Theatre
Sept. 27: Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 28: Washington D.C. @ The Anthem
Sept. 30: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 1: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 3: Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 4: Boston, MA @ Boch Center Wang Theatre
Oct. 7: Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale Theatre
Oct. 8: Portland, ME @ Merrill Auditorium at City Hall
Oct. 10: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
Oct. 14: Richmond, VA @ Altria Theater
Oct. 16: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 17: Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia presented by Highmark
Oct. 21: Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 22: Toronto, ON, Canada @ Massey Hall
Oct. 25: Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre
Oct. 28: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 29: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Oct. 31: Chicago, IL @ The Auditorium
Nov. 3: Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 4: Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 6: Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 7: Denver, CO @ Bellco Theatre
Nov. 11: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 12: Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Nov. 16: San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 17: San Francisco, CA @ The Theater at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Nov. 20: Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 21: Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre
Nov. 25: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 26: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
Nov. 28: Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Nov. 29: Dallas, TX @ Music Hall at Fair Park
Dec. 2: Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 3: Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
Dec. 5: Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
Dec. 6: Miami, FL @ Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theatre
2026 Australia & New Zealand dates:
Jan. 14: Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena
Jan. 17: Brisbane, Australia @ Brisbane Entertainment Center
Jan. 21: Sydney, Australia @ ICC Sydney Theatre
Jan. 22: Melbourne, Australia @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl
Jan. 24: Adelaide, Australia @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena
Jan. 27: Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena
2026 Europe & United Kingdom dates:
Feb. 12: Berlin, Germany @ Tempodrom
Feb. 15: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Feb. 16: Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Feb. 18: Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
Feb. 21: Milan, Italy @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Feb. 22: Milan, Italy @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Feb. 24: Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
Feb. 27: Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
March 2: Cardiff, UK @ Utilita Arena
March 3: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 4: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 6: Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
March 7: Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
March 9: Manchester, UK @ o2 Apollo
March 10: Manchester, UK @ o2 Apollo
March 13: Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
March 15: London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
March 18: Paris, France @ La Seine Musicale
March 19: Paris, France @ La Seine Musicale
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Threw 6 Mafia are set to join forces for the Thuggish-Ruggish-Mafia Tour later this year.
The 24-city North American trek is set to kick off on Aug. 21 in Arkansas and then make stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, New York, New Jersey, Virginia Beach, Charlotte, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Phoenix before wrapping up in California on Oct. 4.
DJ Quik and Tech N9ne are slated to serve as special guests on the amphitheater tour. Artist pre-sale tickets are currently on sale, while the general public will have their chance on Friday (June 13). Various VIP packages are also slated to be available.
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All five members of Bone Thugs will be on the tour (Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Flesh-n-Bone) alongside Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J.
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“WE GOIN ON TOUR!! @three6mafia THE THUGGISH-RUGGISH-MAFIA TOUR ‼️LETSSSS GOOOOOOO Bone Thugs-N-Harmony x THREE 6 MAFIA x TECH N9NE x DJ Quik,” Juicy wrote on IG. “Tix on sale this Friday, June 13th @ 10AM local.”
Plenty of fans were hyped at the announcement, in addition to some of the rappers’ peers. “This big,” Curren$y wrote, although some voiced their frustration about no hometown shows scheduled for Memphis (Three 6) or Cleveland (Bone Thugs) on the trek. “How yall touring with Bone and not hitting Cleveland,” a fan asked.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony solidified their reunion with the release of “Tha Crossroads” crew’s comeback single “Aww Shit” in April, which marked the Cleveland icons’ first full collaboration since 2010.
Find all of the dates for the Thuggish-Ruggish-Mafia Tour below.
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Courtesy Photo
Aug. 21 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart AMPAug. 23 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park^Aug. 24 – Clarkston, Mich. @ Pine Knob Music TheatreAug. 28 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino AmphitheaterAug. 29 – Tinley Park, Ill. @ Credit Union 1 AmphitheatreAug. 31 – Darien Center, N.Y. @ Darien Lake AmphitheaterSept. 4 – Wantagh, N.Y. @ Northwell at Jones Beach TheaterSept. 5 – Camden, N.J. @ Freedom Mortgage PavilionSept. 6 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts CenterSept. 7 – Virginia Beach, Va. @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia BeachSept. 10 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music PavilionSept. 12 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ascend AmphitheaterSept. 13 – Huntsville, Ala. @ Orion AmphitheaterSept. 14 – Alpharetta, Ga. @ Ameris Bank AmphitheatreSept. 18 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Daily’s PlaceSept. 19 – West Palm Beach, Fla. @ iTHINK Financial AmphitheatreSept. 20 – Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State FairgroundsSept. 25 – Dallas, Tx. @ Dos Equis PavilionSept. 27 – Austin, Tx. @ Germania Insurance AmphitheaterSept. 28 – Houston, Tx. @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by HuntsmanOct. 2 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Talking Stick Resort AmphitheatreOct. 3 – Chula Vista, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union AmphitheatreOct. 4 – Concord, Calif. @ Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Last week, Mariah Carey dropped her first proper single in years — and now, “Type Dangerous” is getting a music video, as revealed Monday (June 9). As teased in a clip posted by the vocalist on her socials, MC’s new visual will arrive on Friday (June 13). The preview finds a characteristically glamorous Carey walking […]
Miley Cyrus educated Monica Lewinsky on the meaning of the acronym “WAP” in a new episode of Lewinsky’s podcast, Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky, offering a humorous yet insightful reflection on her past controversies.
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In an exclusive clip shared with Billboard ahead of the episode’s release, Cyrus jokingly explains to Lewinsky, who admitted being unfamiliar with the term, exactly what “WAP” means.
“A couple years ago, like, WAP…” Cyrus began, prompting Lewinsky to admit, “Wait, I don’t know what that is.”
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Laughing, Cyrus replied, “Are we telling Monica Lewinsky what WAP is about? Should I tell her?” before playfully clarifying, “It stands for Wet A– P—-. Okay?”
The “Flowers” singer then compared her infamous 2013 MTV Video Music Awards performance, which faced significant backlash, to Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s celebrated rendition of “WAP” at the 2021 Grammys.
“It got performed at the Grammys. I dressed as a teddy bear and got shamed,” Cyrus remarked. “But Cardi B isn’t for kids. She’s not a child star. For me, it was so hard to go but like why is Rihanna not in trouble? But it was because I was a kid star, so it’s like the babysitter went rogue. I was like a babysitter for America’s children.”
Lewinsky’s podcast Reclaiming features candid conversations where guests explore the concept of reclaiming narratives that have been taken or lost. The podcast engages a variety of recognizable figures, experts, and everyday people in open and often unexpected discussions.
This episode’s timing coincides with the release of Cyrus’ ninth studio album, Something Beautiful, which debuted at No. 4 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album continues Cyrus’ tradition of chart success, following her previous No. 1 albums Breakout (2008), Bangerz (2013), and Endless Summer Vacation (2023).
Fans can catch the full episode of Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky at 12 p.m. ET on June 10, available early and ad-free for Amazon Music subscribers and Wondery+ listeners.
Watch the “WAP”-torial below.
For every milestone in a kid’s life, there’s a CoComelon song — and now parents have a brand-new potty-training anthem to add to their toolkit, premiering exclusively on Billboard Family.
As part of the “CoComelon Can Help” campaign, an animated video for “When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go!” hits CoComelon’s YouTube page on Tuesday (June 9) to help steer kids and caregivers alike through the often trying times of potty training.
JJ, the face of countless CoComelon clips, stars in the video as he figures out what to do when that moment strikes.
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“I gotta go, go/ Oh no/ When you gotta go, you gotta go!” J.J. sings in the instantly familiar CoComelon tune. “Trying something new can be hard/ And being brave is such a good start/ So come on, come on, it’s time to be smart/ ‘Cause when you gotta go, you gotta go!”
Watch the “When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go!” video here:
In addition to the new song, CoComelon has also curated a Potty Time Songs playlist, filled with a lineup of previous CoComelon potty tunes, as well as a YouTube playlist of potty-training videos, in which JJ and his toddler buddies model real-life scenarios that kids run into when they’re potty training.
Finally, for families in Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, the Gotta Go Zone! tour is heading your way, with CoComelon Gotta Go Zones that include a family restroom designed for little ones with step stools, a soap bar and sensory play. There will also be music, kid activities, face painting, giveaways, snacks and character meet-and-greets. (You can RSVP for the events here.)
Need more CoComelon? The CoComelon: Sing-A-Long Live Tour is also currently on the road, with dates through June 29 in Louisville. You can also watch the CoComelon animated series on Netflix before it makes its way to Disney+ in 2027.
06/10/2025
Don Mischer, whose credits include the legendary program where Michael Jackson first unveiled the moonwalk, is being honored posthumously.
06/10/2025
