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Looks like running — and playing Forrest Gump — runs in the Hanks family. In the “You Better Run” music video for Chet Hanks’ band Something Out West, the singer tapped his famous father Tom Hanks to re-create scenes from Forrest Gump more than 30 years after the actor starred in the iconic film. The […]
She Is The Music honored singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and her support team of women at its Women Sharing the Spotlight event at The Peppermint Club in Los Angeles on Thursday (March 27). The event celebrated 50 impactful women in the music industry, each of whom shared their spotlight with another woman in the business. Alicia […]
Last September, Katy Perry released her seventh album, 143. The album peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, while lead single “Woman’s World” hit a No. 63 high on the Hot 100.
The song was co-written and co-produced by Lukasz Gottwald, known better as Dr. Luke, who worked on nine out of the album’s 11 tracks. Upon release, his involvement caused controversy as fans questioned why Perry would return to working with the producer — who Kesha previously and publicly accused of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse over a 10-year period. (Dr. Luke countersued for defamation, and in 2023 a settlement was reached.)
“I think there was some backlash for her reuniting with Dr. Luke,” Chris Anokute, who works as Perry’s A&R manager, said in his recent interview with The Manager’s Playbook. “[That] was my desire and recommendation.”
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During the interview, Anokute called Gottwald “a dear friend” and claimed that the many accusations leveled at the all the producer were “not true,” a fact that the producer himself has vehemently claimed over the last few years. “So I thought it was a good time to reunite them after 10 years of not working together and every single he’s ever done for her was No. 1,” Anokute said in the interview. “The press didn’t react favorably, and they basically tried to assassinate him and her.”
Dr. Luke previously worked on Perry hits including “I Kissed a Girl,” “Hot n Cold,” “California Girls,” “Dark Horse” and many more. Perry has collected nine Hot 100 No. 1s, with 36 songs in all on appearing on the tally.
On April 23, Perry will kick off her Lifetimes Tour, named after the second single from 143, in Mexico. The trek will hit the U.S. in May, opening in Houston. She’ll also visit Australia, Canada, South America and the UK and Europe, wrapping on November 11 in Madrid.
Check out Anokute’s full interview below:
Downtown Nashville is no stranger to musically-themed bars, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are bringing some hip-hop flair to 2nd Avenue. The Still G.I.N. Lounge is set to open on April 4 in the same four-story building that hosts Nashville Live! and will bring a “smooth sophistication of a top-tier cocktail lounge with the […]
Lola Young reigns for the first time on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, as “Messy” jumps two places to No. 1 on the April 5-dated tally.
“Messy” rules concurrent with its third week at No. 1 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, thanks to 4.7 million audience impressions in the week ending March 27, according to Luminate.
Young tops Alternative Airplay with her first entry on the list, becoming the second act in a row to do so, after Balu Brigada’s “So Cold” reached No. 1 the week before. Five acts, via four songs, have earned first Alternative Airplay No. 1s as lead acts in 2025. Prior to Young and Balu Brigada, Justice and Tame Impala on their collaboration “Neverender” and Almost Monday with “Can’t Slow Down” led for the first time.
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Comparatively, just two acts notched first Alternative Airplay No. 1s in 2024. Five newcomers at the top spot as lead acts this year, and as of March, for that matter, mark the most in a single year since six in 2021 (I Dont Know How But They Found Me’s “Leave Me Alone,” Cannons‘ “Fire for You,” Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear’s “My Ex’s Best Friend,” Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves” and Måneskin’s “Beggin’”).
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“Messy” ranks at No. 7 on Adult Alternative Airplay, after reaching No. 5 earlier in March. It also rises 9-8 on Pop Airplay, bullets at its No. 10 best on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 30 on Adult Contemporary.
On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, dated March 29, reflecting data March 14-20, “Messy” placed at No. 2. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 9.7 million official U.S. streams and sold 3,000 downloads in that span.
“Messy” parent album This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway ranked at No. 32, after reaching No. 11, on the March 29 Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart with 9,000 equivalent album units. It has earned 211,000 units to date.
All Billboard charts dated April 5 will update on Tuesday, April 1.
With March coming to a close, the music releases haven’t slowed down with a number of A-list stars dropping new singles and albums. Kicking things off is Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead deluxe edition of her 2024 Billboard 200 chart-topping album, Eternal Sunshine. The extended edition of the original 13-song project features six new tracks, […]
Doechii banks her second No. 1 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart as “Denial Is a River” storms to the summit of the list dated April 5. The new champ jumps from No. 5 to crown the list as the most-played song on U.S. panel-contributing rhythmic radio stations for the tracking week of March 21-27, according to Luminate, and improved 13% in plays for the latest tracking period compared to the week prior.
Before “Denial is a River,” released and promoted to radio through Top Dawg/Capitol Records/ICLG, Doechii ruled Rhythmic Airplay with “What It Is (Block Boy).” The single, which features Kodak Black, reigned for one week in June 2023.
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As “Denial” takes the throne, it ousts GELO’s “Tweaker” after a one-week stay in the penthouse. The former leader slips to No. 2 following a 7% decline in plays for the tracking week.
Doechii’s latest coronation arrives just one day before the Grammy Award-winning rapper/singer is set to receive another honor: officially accepting the coveted Woman of the Year title at Billboard’s 2025 Women in Music event. The ceremony will occur tomorrow night (March 29) in Los Angeles, with other honorees including Rising Star winner Muni Long and Icon Award recipient Erykah Badu.
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Beyond its Rhythmic Airplay crown, “Denial Is a River” continues to make waves across other radio formats. It repeats its No. 12 best on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, where, despite no change in rank, the song earned 6% more plays in the latest tracking week. Meanwhile, it pushes 26-23 on Pop Airplay thanks to a 4% boost in plays at mainstream top-40 radio stations. The concurrent improvements from different sectors spark its 28-27 gain on the all-genre, audience-based Radio Songs chart, where the single leaps 10% in weekly audience to 24.4 million.
While “Denial is a River” builds its radio results, Doechii’s latest single, “Anxiety,” is generating favorable momentum. The Gotye-sampling single, which had a nearly six-year journey from initial recording to release, drives 33-21 on Rhythmic Airplay in its second week on the chart from a 181% surge in plays, winning it the weekly Greatest Gainer honor for the largest increase in plays among all tracks. Similarly, “Anxiety” races 36-28 on Pop Airplay thanks to a 199% vault in plays (snagging another Greatest Gainer prize) and debuts at No. 32 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.
All charts dated April 5 will update on Billboard‘s website this Tuesday, April 1.
This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music, including albums by Máximo Grado (Somos Leyenda), Fito Paez (Novela), Venesti (Origen) and Natanael Cano (Recordando Ariel Camacho). Plus, Emilia, Tini and Nicki Nicole team up for “blackout,” an electro-pop cheeky collaboration powered by fast-paced merengue rhythms that redefines what […]
Nick Cannon is realizing that having 12 kids isn’t cheap. The star recently sat down with People, where he reflected on his viral comment from Courtney Bee’s We Playin’ Spades podcast, in which he said he’s not ready to rule out the possibility of having more kids in the future. “My grandmother called me last night, like ‘Another One!’ I […]
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Máximo Grado, Somos Leyenda (Warner Music México)
The album’s cover art is enough indication that Somos Leyenda is bound to be revolutionary. In the middle of the Eugène Delacroix-inspired artwork, you have Máximo Grado’s frontman Christian Felix waving a flag in triumph surrounded by a powerful battalion comprised of some of the biggest powerhouses in regional Mexican music today, including Carín León, Natanael Cano, Luis R Conriquez, Junior H and Fuerza Regida, to name a few — all featured as collaborators on the album. Released via Warner Music México, the 15-track set cements Máximo Grado’s stronghold on música mexicana and a legacy that has not only stood the test of time but has also influenced a new generation of Mexican hitmakers along the way.
The LP includes reimagined versions of Máximo Grado’s accordion-powered corridos, including “Gallos y Caballos,” “La Guera y La Morena,” “Yo Soy Ivan” and “Unas Heladas.” Besides the aforementioned artists on the album, Somos Leyenda also includes collabs with Grupo Firme, Eden Muñoz, Tito Double P, Netón Vega, Belinda, Los Dareyes de la Sierra, Alfredo Olivas, Grupo Marca Registrada, Codiciado and Legado 7. The significant number of artists who jumped on the project is a nod to the the genre’s collective effort to grow the regional Mexican music global movement. — GRISELDA FLORES
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Emilia, Tini & Nicki Nicole, “blackout” (Sony Music Latin)
When Argentine powerhouses Emilia, Nicki Nicole and Tini unite, they deliver an electrifying collaboration titled “blackout.” This riveting track, part of Emilia’s upcoming new EP, emerges as a vibrant anthem that radiates desire, confidence and unapologetic feminine energy. The song bursts with a dynamic electro-pop backdrop, seamlessly merging vibrant, fast-paced merengue rhythms that invite listeners to get up and dance. The lyrics and melodies not only celebrate physical attraction but also reframe the notion of “being hot,” transforming it into a bold and empowering statement of independence and self-confidence. — INGRID FAJARDO
Natanael Cano, Recordando Ariel Camacho (Live) (Los CT Records/Rancho Humilde)
It’s no secret that Natanael Cano holds deep admiration for Ariel Camacho, the fallen sierreño idol who passed away far too soon at the age of 22. Cano, a key figure in the corridos tumbados movement, credits Camacho — as do many other youth from the booming música mexicana explosion — as a major inspiration behind his groundbreaking sound and career. Recorded during a live performance in Guadalajara’s palenque alongside Camacho’s band, Los Plebes del Rancho, Recordando Ariel Camacho captures Cano’s heartfelt homage through ten tracks that reimagine the late artist’s legacy. Highlights include fan favorites like “El Karma,” “Hablemos,” and “Te Metiste,” paired with new versions of classics such as “El Toro Encartado.” “Ariel Camacho inspired me and so many others,” Cano stated in the 2024 documentary The Global Rise of Mexican Music. “He’s the only person I’ve ever cried for in my life. I admired him, and I still admire him. I never got to meet him”. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Fito Páez, Novela (Sony Music España)
Fito Páez gifts fans a fascinating rock musical with Novela, a 25-song project he spent more than 35 years writing, between 1988 and 2024. The work tells the magical story of Villa Constitución, a town in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, where a strange circus arrives to revolutionize the lives of its inhabitants. Through songs like “Universidad Prix,” “Cuando el Circo Llega al Pueblo,” “Superextraño,” and “El Triunfo del Amor,” Páez introduces us to his singular characters: The school’s dean, Rectitud Martirius; the witches Maldivina and Turbialuz; the young protagonists of the love story Loka (daughter of the circus owner) and Jimmy (singer of a rock band), and more.
“Fantastic adventures, disturbing cabarets. Neighbors darks and freaks. Characters with anguish, tragedies, lights and shadows, who spend their days in the limit between a town and a poor circus that defines the antagonism and the staging of daily life and its reaction to supernatural events that constantly happen, among them, the appearance of love,” the production notes summarize. Co-produced by Páez with Gustavo Borner and Diego Olivero, and recorded between Abbey Road in London and 5020 Studios in Madrid, the album arrives with the uplifting focus track “Sale el Sol,” which, like other songs on the set, works perfectly on its own. But the magic occurs collectively: It’s impossible to listen to Novela without having the whole movie playing in your head. – SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Venesti, Origen (AP Global Music)
After scoring his first Billboard Latin Music Award last Fall (for Latin pop song of the year with “No Es Normal,” featuring Maffio and Nacho), the rising Colombian artist returns to his roots with Origen, his second album. The set, featuring a roster of local Colombian talent, from DJs to rappers, marries Venesti’s signature melodic urban sound to Afro Caribbean rhythms, from the Pacific Coast’s currulao (in the catchy “Taca Tu Tacu”) to the Afro Pop of “Felina,” featuring Nacho. The mixes are layered and subtle, yet convincing. This is an artist coming into his own with a singular sound that touches many borders. — LEILA COBO
Debi Nova, “Tu Manera de Amar” (Sony Music Latin)
An infectious drum and bass line invites the listener to move from the first chords of “Tu Manera de Amar,” the electrifying new love song from Debi Nova. “If you could feel what I feel, you would reach high, to the sky” the Costa Rican singer-songwriter sings over a soft, surrounding pop-rock rhythm. “Your way of loving is what I want.” “‘Tu Manera de Amar’ is a kind of ritual for me, a cleansing, a dance, a shaking off of everything I want to leave behind and the perfect beginning for this new era,” she wrote on X. “So I hope you shake it off and dance to it and make it your own.” For example and inspiration, just watch her dance in the video. – S.R.A.
Check out more Latin recommendations this week below: