Music

28 Jan 2024

21 Savage’s ‘American Dream’ Spends Second Week Atop Billboard 200

21 Savage’s American Dream holds steady at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week (on the chart dated Feb. 3), following its debut atop the tally a week ago. It earned 78,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 25 (down 40%), according to Luminate, down from the 133,000 it earned in its opening frame.

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With a second week at No. 1, American Dream matches the two-week No. 1 run of the rapper’s I Am > I Was, in 2019, tying for 21 Savage’s most weeks at No. 1 among his four leaders. His two other No. 1s — his collaborative sets Savage Mode II (with Metro Boomin) and Her Loss (with Drake) — each spent one week at the summit.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Green Day lands its 12th top 10-charting set, as its latest studio album, Saviors, debuts at No. 4. Its arrival comes two weeks before the band celebrates its 30th anniversary on Billboard’s charts. The trio premiered on Billboard’s tallies dated Feb. 19, 1994, when its Dookie album launched on the Billboard 200, among other lists.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 3, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Jan. 30. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of American Dream’s 78,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 25, SEA units comprise 77,000 (down 40%, equaling 103.16 million on-demand official streams of the 15 songs on the album), album sales comprise 1,000 (72%), and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 56%).

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time rises 3-2 with 63,000 equivalent album units earned (up 4%) and Drake’s former leader For All the Dogs climbs 4-3 with 53,000 units (up 1%).

Green Day’s Saviors starts at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 49,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 39,000 (making it the top-selling album of the week), SEA units comprise 9,500 (equaling 12.25 million official on-demand streams of the album’s 15 songs) and TEA units comprise 500. Saviors is the 12th top 10-charting set for Green Day, stretching back to its first entry on the list, Dookie, which entered the chart at No. 127 on the Feb. 19, 1994-dated list, and peaked at No. 2 on Jan. 28, 1995.

Saviors was led by the single “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” which reached No. 2 on the Alternative Airplay chart, capturing the group its 25th top 10-charting tune on the tally.

Noah Kahan’s Stick Season rises 6-5 on the Billboard 200 with 48,000 equivalent album units earned (up 7%), while the rest of the top 10 comprises former No. 1s. Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) dips 5-6 (47,000; down 6%); SZA’s SOS bumps 9-7 (41,000; down less than 1%); Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 falls 7-8 (39,000; down 11%); Zach Bryan’s self-titled album rises 12-9 (38,000; up 4%); and Swift’s Lover is a non-mover at No. 10 (nearly 38,000; down 2%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

28 Jan 2024

Justin Timberlake & Jimmy Fallon Return With ‘Barry Gibb Talk Show’ After Decade-Long Absence on ‘SNL’: Watch

Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon are bringing the spirit of legendary pop trio the Bee Gees back to Studio 8H.

After debuting the “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” on Saturday Night Live more than two decades ago, the longtime pals revisited the hilarious sketch once again during Dakota Johnson-hosted episode on Jan. 27.

The hilarious sibling duo opened their show with a politically-themed version of Bee Gees top 10 hit “Nights on Broadway.” They followed by welcoming their guests — justice correspondent Elie Mystal (played by SNL cast member Kenan Thompson), Forward Party founder Andrew Yang (Bowen Yang) and political influencer Joanne Carducci (Johnson) — for a chaotic discussion about the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Decked out in ’70s chic attire, the “Selfish” singer once again portrayed quiet Bee Gees member Robin Gibb while the Tonight Show host played his boisterous bandmate and brother, Barry Gibb. This marked the first “Barry Gibb Talk Show” sketch since 2013. It first debuted in 2003.

It didn’t take long for the Gibbs to interrupt their guests with sporadic harmonies and random inappropriate outbursts. Fallon’s Gibb even managed to throw in a reference about the 2023 black comedy Saltuburn.

“I fear nothing. I watched Saltburn with my entire family, and I knew about the bathtub scene beforehand. And I loved it,” Fallon’s character says after insulting Thompson’s Mystal.

The brothers followed the line with an awkward song set to the tune of Bees Gees classic “Stayin’ Alive.” “Ha, ha, ha, ha, lickin’ a drain, humpin’ a drain,” they harmonized.

Elsewhere during Saturday’s episode, Timberlake and Fallon awkwardly crashed Johnson’s monologue. JT served as the evening’s musical guest, performing two tracks — “Sanctified” and “Selfish” — from his upcoming sixth solo album, Everything I Thought It Was. The set is scheduled for release on March 15.

Watch the “The Barry Gibb Talk Show: 2024 Election” SNL sketch below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.

28 Jan 2024

Nicki Minaj Announces New Song ‘Bigfoot’ Admid Feud With Megan Thee Stallion

Nicki Minaj‘s “Bigfoot” is coming soon.

The forthcoming track, which Minaj says will drop on Sunday (Jan. 28) at 3 p.m. PST, appears to be in response to Megan Thee Stallion‘s apparent diss on her just-released single “Hiss.”

“Tomorrow 3PM PST #BIGFOOT,” Minaj wrote on X (formerly twitter) late Saturday night (Jan. 27).

The Queen of Rap’s post features cover art of a high-heeled pink boot stepping into a much larger footprint embossed in pink concrete. The image appears alongside a close-up of Megan’s face looking distressed. In the wake her barrage of posts, #Bigfoot became a trending topic on X.

On her fiery new single “Hiss,” Megan takes an apparent jab at Nicki’s husband, registered sex offender Kenneth Petty, while referencing Megan’s Law, a federal law requiring law enforcement to make information available about registered sex offenders.

“These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law/ I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start/ B—h, you a p—y, never finna check me/ Every chance you get, bet your weak ass won’t address me,” the Stallion raps on the track.

Shortly after the song’s arrival on Friday (Jan. 26), Minaj hopped on Instagram Live to preview an unreleased track firing back at Meg, referencing the Houston artist getting shot in the foot by Tory Lanez in 2020. The shooting case wrapped up last year with the Canadian crooner heading to prison.

“Bad b—h she like six foot, I call her big foot/ The b—h fell off, I said get up on your good foot,” Nicki raps in the snippet.

The “Super Bass” rapper had a chuckle at her slick wordplay and ran back the venomous track a few times before sniping at Megan for her rapping ability during the Live: “You have three Grammys and you have to learn how to rap on the beat and be comfortable in the music.”

In addition to her “Bigfoot” song announcement, Minaj shared numerous other posts on X taking jabs at Megan Thee Stallion.

“It’s been rdy for 2 days. just was tryna be cool & let her get her lil streams. wasn’t gon say anything. But I remember how everyone kept my name in their mouth & how I said the next person mention my family gon regret it. Btw, they haven’t even heard the song. Who said it’s even a ‘diss’?” she tweeted.

Nicki also claimed that she didn’t charge Meg for her appearance on 2019’s “Hot Girl Summer,” which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also features Ty Dolla $ign.

“Didn’t charge her for the hot girl summer verse that I recorded the night she BEGGED & BEGGED to go on my live. But it’s ok. My n—a Pluto charged her 250K for his verse,” Minaj wrote on X.

Nicki also hinted that she an arsenal of unreleased tracks that could possibly see the light of day.

“After the 1st one drop, if dat p—y a– hoe so much as BREATHE wrong ima empty da clip. If that p—y a– hoe deny 1THING I say, I’m posting every fkn receipt known to man. 5. Yes you heard me! Did 5 extra songs. we’ve been waiting on u HO. Play #PinkFriday2 NON STOP barbz. LuvU,” she wrote.

“Hiss,” which is co-produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat and Bankroll Got It, is the second single set to land on Megan’s third album. The new track arrived two months after she launched her new era with the rock-tinged “Cobra,” which served as her first independent single since leaving 1501 Certified Entertainment. “Cobra” peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her eighth top 10 hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 10).

See a hanful of Minaj’s posts on X below.

28 Jan 2024

Justin Timberlake Debuts New Gospel-Flavored Song ‘Sanctified’ With Tobe Nwigwe on ‘SNL’: Watch

Justin Timberlake delivered a pair of new songs from his upcoming album during his return to Saturday Night Live on Jan. 27.

The 42-year-old pop star and actor served as musical guest for the fifth time as a solo artist, showing off his soulful vocals alongside host Dakota Johnson on the latest episode of the long-running NBC sketch comedy show.

After making a cameo in his Social Network co-star’s monologue, JT opened with his just-released single “Selfish,” which will appear on his upcoming sixth solo album, Everything I Thought It Was. The singer unveiled the song earlier this month at his hometown concert in Memphis.

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“So if I get jealous, I can’t help it/ I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish,” Timberlake sings on the silky-smooth R&B song. “It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it.”

For his second song, with an introduction from longtime pal and sketch partner-in-crime Jimmy Fallon, the superstar debuted the brand new gospel-flavored tracked “Sanctified,” featuring Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe. The energetic performance included a full band and backup dancers.

EITIW is scheduled to drop on March 15. The forthcoming set follows 2018’s Man of the Woods, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Later in the episode, Timberlake joined SNL alum Fallon for another hilarious edition of “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.”

The 10-time Grammy winner is no stranger to Studio 8H at 30 Rock. He joined SNL‘s Five-Timers Club in March 2013, with two of those times when he pulled double duty as musical guest as well. Timberlake has also earned four Emmys through his work on the show, including outstanding original music and lyrics for his “Di– in a Box” music video with Lonely Island. His last performance on SNL was in December 2013.

Watch Timberlake’s SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=zLC8XiBxV1k&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent


https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZCKqeaR1CgE&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

27 Jan 2024

Kelly Clarkson Belts Another U2 Classic With ‘Mysterious Ways’ Kellyoke Cover

Kelly Clarkson has delivered another U2 cover to her studio audience on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

After performing “Pride (In the Name of Love)” on her show for MLK Day, on Friday (Jan. 26) Clarkson sang a slightly shortened version of U2’s “Mysterious Ways.”

Standing at her mic, Clarkson looked straight at the camera as she belted the chorus: “It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright/ She moves in mysterious ways/ It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright/ Lift my days, light up my nights, oh.”

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The singer and talk show host wore a fitted, denim, flare-leg jumpsuit — which she called “a grown-up onesie” — for the episode, which featured guests including Jamie Oliver and Brittany Mahomes.

Clarkson, who told People she’s been walking a lot in New York City and has been following her doctor’s advice when it comes to diet, earlier this month joked about her wardrobe evolution amid her recent weight loss journey. “Dude, this is tight,” she said of a black, curve-hugging jumpsuit she wore at a Las Vegas show. “Like, I lost weight and they’re like, ‘Let’s get you into this tight s–t.’”

“Mysterious Ways” is on U2’s Achtung Baby album, which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1991.

“Mysterious Ways” and “Pride (In the Name of Love)” aren’t the first U2 songs Clarkson has performed on The Kelly Clarkson Show. She also brought U2 tunes to her popular Kellyoke segment in 2021 (“Beautiful Day”) and 2020 (“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”).

Watch Clarkson’s “Mysterious Ways” cover below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ej66r1uk_uI&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&start=1&wmode=transparent

27 Jan 2024

Richard Marx Calls Out Concertgoer Talking Through His Performance: ‘Learn Some F—ing Manners’

Richard Marx wanted a word with the parents of a rude audience member who interrupted his concert last weekend.

The veteran singer-songwriter, who’s been on a January co-headlining tour with Rick Springfield, was playing at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, on Jan. 21 when someone in the audience started loudly interrupting his 1989 song “Angelia.”

When the song was over, he addressed the crowd, singling out the talker in the room.

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“I’m genuinely curious who raised you to think that anything you could yell out was more important than what we were doing,” he said from the stage, as heard in a video obtained by TMZ.

“Learn some f—ing manners, lady!” said Marx in the clip.

Marx has seen success as songwriter for other artists throughout his career, while several of his own recordings reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the ’80s and ’90s. He topped the chart in 1988 with “Hold on to the Nights,” and “Right Here Waiting” and “Satisfied” in 1989. He’s been nominated for five Grammys and is the recipient of one, the song of the year award in 2004 for “Dance With My Father,” which he wrote and composed with Luther Vandross.

Marx’s latest album, Songwriter, was released in 2022.

His mini tour with Springfield was scheduled to continue this weekend, but a group of dates were postponed when Springfield came down with the flu.

“I contracted one of the nasty flus running rampant and have not been able to shake it,” Springfield wrote to fans on Instagram. “I never want to not be at my best performing especially especially on this special show that my dear friend Richard and I have put together. We will reschedule as soon as possible and return with an unforgettable show.”

27 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift’s Name Unsearchable on X After AI-Generated Explicit Photos Scandal

Social media users searching up Taylor Swift‘s name on X (formerly Twitter) were in for a surprise on Saturday (Jan. 27).

After typing in the 34-year-old pop superstar’s name in the search box on X, users received the following error message: “Something went wrong. Try reloading.” Swift’s official X account was still accessible at press time on Saturday afternoon.

Billboard has reached out to the social media company’s representatives for comment.

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The search issue on X arrives days after sexually explicit deepfake images of Swift began circulating online. A post featuring the photos shared through X on Wednesday night (Jan. 25) was viewed 47 million times before the account was eventually suspended the following day. X went on to shut down several accounts that posted the fake images, but the images have since been shared on other social media platforms. “Protect Taylor Swift” soon began trending on X.

The White House spoke out after the scandal, calling for legislation to protect victims on online harassment. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the incident “alarming,” and that the negatives of AI is something that the Biden administration is focusing on.

“Of course Congress should take legislative action,” Jean-Pierre said, according to The Verge. “That’s how you deal with some of these issues.”

Jean-Pierre also said that social media companies “have an important role to play in enforcing their own rules” to prevent this type of harassment.

“We know that lax enforcement disproportionately impacts women and also girls, sadly, who are the overwhelming targets of online harassment and also abuse.”

SAG-AFTRA also released a statement on the matter, writing, “The development and dissemination of fake images — especially those of a lewd nature — without someone’s consent must be made illegal. As a society, we have it in our power to control these technologies, but we must act now before it is too late.”

The actor’s union called the images “upsetting, harmful, and deeply concerning.”

27 Jan 2024

Nicki Minaj Fires Back at Megan Thee Stallion After Apparent Diss on New Song ‘Hiss’

Nicki Minaj isn’t a fan of Megan Thee Stallion‘s new song “Hiss.”

On the fiery new single, Megan takes an apparent jab at Nicki’s husband, registered sex offender Kenneth Petty, while referencing Megan’s Law, a federal law requiring law enforcement to make information available about registered sex offenders.

“These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law/ I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start/ B—h, you a p—y, never finna check me/ Every chance you get, bet your weak ass won’t address me,” the Stallion raps on “Hiss.”

Shortly after the song’s arrival on Friday (Jan. 26), Minaj hopped on Instagram Live to preview an unreleased track firing back at Meg, referencing the Houston artist getting shot in the foot by Tory Lanez in 2020. The shooting case wrapped up last year with the Canadian crooner heading to prison.

“Bad b—h she like six foot, I call her Big Foot/ The b—h fell off, I said get up on your good foot,” Nicki raps in the snippet.

The “Super Bass” rapper had a chuckle at her slick wordplay and ran back the venomous track a few times before sniping at Megan for her rapping ability during the Live: “You have three Grammys and you have to learn how to rap on the beat and be comfortable in the music.”

Nicki added on Instagram Live, “You bringing up 30-year-old tea from when this man was a 15-year-old child. You bringing up 30-year-old tea cause no man will ever f—ing love you, and lying on your dead mother.” (Megan’s mother died in 2019.)

Minaj didn’t stop there. She spoke further on the matter during a conversation Friday on radio app Stationhead. “You let everyone be thrown under the bus,” Nicki is heard saying about Meg in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter). “You let DaBaby be thrown under the bus, Tory, your best friend, your mom … You better go conjure up your mother and apologize. That’s disgusting.”

Nicki has also shared numerous posts on X, calling Megan a “disgusting serpant” and writing, “Megan’s Law. For a free beat you could hit #Meganraw.” Minaj added in another tweet that she “does not condone ‘bullying,’” but called Stallion a “pathological & manipulative liar,” alleging that she’s “using ghost writers & still SUCK.”

“Hiss,” which is co-produced by LilJuMadeDaBeat and Bankroll Got It, is the second single set to land on Megan’s third album. The new track arrived two months after she launched her new era with the rock-tinged “Cobra,” which served as her first independent single since leaving 1501 Certified Entertainment. “Cobra” peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her eighth top 10 hit on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (No. 10).

27 Jan 2024

Ariana Grande Begins Teasing ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Tracklist, Reveals New Alternate Cover

Ariana Grande is dropping more teasers for her upcoming album.

On Saturday (Jan. 27), the 30-year-old pop star took to Instagram to unveil a new alternate cover for her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, and teased a tracklist containing two more songs from the forthcoming set.

Earlier this month, the Wicked star unleashed Eternal Sunshine lead single “Yes, And?” and announced that the album will be released on March 8.

The latest alternate cover is a beautiful photograph showing the back of Grande’s head as she sports a blonde ponytail and white dress while resting on the shoulder of a similarly dressed woman. The exclusive cover can be pre-ordered through her website here.

The Grammy winner previously confirmed that Eternal Sunshine would have multiple covers. The artwork for “Yes, And?” features close-up photo of Grande’s face and red lips, while other alternate covers find the singer posing in a white babydoll top and red tulle gloves.

Grande’s other big reveal on Saturday was a teaser of the Eternal Sunshine‘s 13-song tracklist in her Instagram Story. The opener is titled “Intro (End of the World), the fifth song is “Eternal Sunshine,” and song No. 9 is “Yes, And?” No other songs were revealed at press time.

This week, the Victorious alum scored her eighth No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as her latest single “Yes, And?” debuted in the top spot on the chart, less than two months ahead of her March-slated Eternal Sunshine.

“it is overwhelming and so sincerely moving to see how many of you this song has resonated with,” Grande wrote in her Instagram Story on Jan. 22. “it is such a gift to feel so seen and held by you! thank you for your positivity, for your support and for everything. you have no idea how much you mean to me! this is absolutely because of and entirely for you. thank you!”

The star’s latest album rollout follows her yearslong break from music, having spent the time since 2020’s Positions focusing on her R.E.M. Beauty business and her role in the upcoming live-action adaptations of the Broadway musical Wicked. In the past three years, her pop star endeavors have only spanned guesting on other artists’ songs here and there (such as the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Die for You” with The Weeknd and “Met Him Last Night” with Demi Lovato) and releasing a 10th anniversary edition of her debut album, Yours Truly.

Check out Grande’s newest Eternal Sunshine alternate cover on Instagram below.

27 Jan 2024

Bad Bunny Crashes University Class in Miami & More Uplifting Moments in Latin Music

From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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Bad Bunny Crashes University 

Early this week, Bad Bunny crashed a class of about 400 students at Miami’s Florida International University (FIU). The Puerto Rican artist was a guest speaker at David Grutman’s one-hour-long course called “The David Grutman Experience: The Class at Florida International University.” During the conversation, Grutman, the Miami-based entrepreneur who’s known for his professional relationships with A-list celebrities, talked about Groot Hospitality and his evolution in the hospitality industry; while the “Monaco” singer talked about achieving his goals whether it be in music, fashion, or the restaurant industry with the launch of his own Gekko.  

David Grutman & Bad Bunny

World Red Eye

Luis Fonsi’s Own Airplane

In celebration of the 25 years of his career, Luis Fonsi was honored with his own personalized airplane. This week, Air Europe surprised the Puerto Rican crooner by baptizing one of their Dreamliners planes with his name and the lyric “yo quiero un mundo contigo” (I want a world with you), part of his timeless track “Yo No Me Doy Por Vencido.” Air Europe is the official airline of Fonsi’s upcoming tour, which includes a sold-out date in Madrid’s WiZink Center on Feb. 16. The sweet gesture also ties perfectly with the name of Fonsi’s upcoming album called El Viaje.

Luis Fonsi

Luis Fonsi

@nabscab

Pancho Barraza Day

January 25 has been established as ‘Pancho Barraza Day’ in Las Vegas. That’s the way Clark County Commissioner Jim Gibson proclaimed it when he presented a plaque and a replica of the star that has been placed outside the Paris Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The 119th star is another achievement in the singer’s more than three decades career, who has made history within the Mexican region first as the vocalist of Banda Los Recoditos during the 90s and later as a solo artist.

“There are still many dreams to fulfill, but this is definitely one of them, and it is also a great pride to carry the name of Mexico high with these types of distinctions,” the “poet of love” exclusively tells Billboard Español. Barraza will also be celebrated on the “National Banda Day” held annually at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. See Barraza’s post here. — TERE AGUILERA

Blessd’s Celebrity Soccer Match

In celebration of his third studio album, Blessd got together some of his close celebrity friends for the “Si Sabe Fest” held Thursday (Jan. 25) in Miami. The festival, named after his new 14-track set, combined the world of music and soccer in a friendly match: Blessd versus soccer icon Ronaldinho. Showcasing their best fútbol skills, the teams were made up of special guests such as Ryan Castro, Ovy on the Drums, Argentina’s La Brujita Verón, Colombia’s Víctor Hugo Aristizábal, and Brazilian goalkeeper Dida. “I always wanted to be a soccer player ever since I was kid,” the Colombian singer tells Billboard after the match. “For me it’s a dream. I couldn’t believe it.” See the complete interview below:

Lupita Infante Receives Special Honor

Lupita Infante was honored with the Mayor’s Excellence Award by The City of Downey’s Mayor Mario Trujillo, recognizing her contributions in the Latin music industry and her pivotal role in carrying on her family’s musical legacy.  The special award, which Infante received in person on Tuesday (Jan. 23) at the City Hall in Downey, Calif., is “awarded to those whose heartfelt contributions and notable accomplishments have proven invaluable to the community, playing a vital role in advancing the shared goal of making the city a better place for all,” according to a press release. Trujillo is also Infante’s former kindergarten teacher. 

“It’s a full circle moment because I first met Mayor Mario Trujillo when he was my teacher in elementary school,” Infante said in the statement.  I’m dedicating this award to my mother, who first came to Downey looking for a brighter future, and to this beautiful city that has helped shape my path in life and music.”