Music
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Kim Loaiza‘s X Amor II has topped this week’s new music Latin poll. In the poll — published on Friday (Sept. 13) in support of the weekly New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — music fans voted for the Mexican singer’s latest album as their favorite music release of the week. In X Amor […]
Donald Trump isn’t holding back his feelings about Taylor Swift.
On Sunday (Sept. 15), the former president lashed out against the pop superstar on social media, just days after she officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” Trump wrote in all caps on Truth Social.
Following last week’s first presidential debate between Trump and Harris on ABC News, Swift shared her endorsement for the VP with her 238 million Instagram followers (her account had reached 284 million as of Sept. 15).
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” Swift wrote alongside a photo with her cat Benjamin Button. “I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.”
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The “Anti-Hero” singer also expressed her admiration for Harris, calling the VP a “steady-handed, gifted leader” and a “warrior” for causes she holds dear, such as LGBTQ+ rights and women’s reproductive freedoms.
Swift’s endorsement of the Democratic candidates also called out Trump posting fake AI images that had falsely suggested she supported the MAGA leader.
“It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” Swift said about the doctored images Trump put up on his Truth Social feed. “It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.”
The pop star signed her Instagram post as “Childless Cat Lady,” a zinger aimed at Trump’s VP candidate JD Vance, who once used that description to demean Democratic leaders without children.
Swift’s endorsement brought around 400,000 people to the Vote.gov registration website in the following days.
This isn’t the first time the singer-songwriter has spoken up for Democratic candidates. In 2018, she famously broke her silence around politics to endorse Phil Bredesen in his race against Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, saying Blackburn’s voting record “appals and terrifies me.” Swift also endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The plans to transform the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, into a new musical epicenter have encountered an unexpected setback. Following successful shows by artists like Karol G, Taylor Swift and Luis Miguel, the football club Real Madrid announced on Friday (Sep. 13) that it has decided to suspend scheduled concerts at its official venue until 2025, though no specific date was provided.
“Real Madrid C. F. hereby announces that it has decided to provisionally reschedule the calendar of events and concerts at the Santiago Bernabéu. This decision is part of a series of measures that the club has been taking to ensure strict compliance with current municipal regulations during concerts,” the club stated in a press release published on its website and social media.
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“Despite the soundproofing of the Santiago Bernabéu and the additional measures that have been put in place, compliance with these regulations by the various organizers and promoters has been hampered by the challenge of meeting all the requirements,” the statement added. “Real Madrid will continue to work to ensure that during concerts there are the precise conditions in the production and broadcasting of sound that allow concerts to be held at our stadium.”
The affected concerts include those of Dellafuente and Aitana, originally scheduled for Nov. 15 and Dec. 28-29, respectively, and Lola Índigo’s, scheduled for March 22, 2025, Real Madrid said, stating that all of these would be rescheduled. The Music Bank Festival, which was to bring K-pop stars like BOYNEXTDOOR, KISS OF LIFE and aespa on Oct. 12, has been definitively canceled.
No further details were provided. Billboard Español attempted to contact the communications department of Real Madrid C.F. but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
On their social media accounts, Aitana and Lola Índigo quickly reacted to the news. Aitana immediately announced new dates for her shows, which will now be on June 27 and 28, 2025, while Índigo stated that she would announce new dates as soon as she has them.
“We are sad, but everything is postponed until 2025 and I am sure it will be incredible,” a visibly affected Aitana said in a video posted on her Instagram account. “It’s a blow, but we will come back stronger next year, promised!” expressed Lola Índigo. Fans flooded their accounts with messages of support, although the dismay over the wait was evident.
FACUA, a Spanish non-governmental and non-profit organization that fights for consumer rights, posted the following message on X (formerly Twitter): “If you are one of those affected, you have the right to get your money back and to be compensated for transportation and accommodation expenses that you have incurred and are non-refundable.”
With a capacity of up to 65,000 people, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium opened its doors to musical events last April with the show Locos por la Música, followed by a series of concerts from Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour on May 29-30, and Karol G’s four closing shows of her Mañana Será Bonito Tour from July 20-23. Other major concerts at the venue were those of Duki (June 8), Manuel Carrasco (June 29) and Luis Miguel (July 6-7). The last act to perform there was the group Aventura, on Sep. 7-8.
The Bernabéu Stadium, which hosts one of the largest football teams in the Spanish capital, is located in the Chamartín district, right on Paseo de la Castellana, a mainly residential area. The noise level generated by the shows is not the only issue; the traffic and massive crowds have also been noted as a problem.
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Tommy Cash, a country singer and the younger brother of Johnny Cash, has died. He was 84.
The news of Tommy’s passing was confirmed on Saturday (Sept. 14) in a social media post by the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville.
“We are saddened to announce that the world lost a bright light last evening with the passing of Tommy Cash,” reads a statement on Instagram from Icon Entertainment CEO Bill Miller, who founded the museum.
A cause of death was not provided at press time.
Tommy died on Friday, just one day after the 21st anniversary of late country music icon Jonny Cash, who passed away on Sept. 12, 2003, from complications of diabetes.
“Tommy Cash was a loyal supporter of the Johnny Cash Museum and a very beloved member of our extended family as well as a highly respected member of the music industry,” Miller added. “This great man will be deeply missed by his friends and many loyal fans around the world. Please keep Tommy’s beloved wife, Marcy and his family in your prayers.”
Tommy was born in Dyess, Ark., on April 5, 1940. Following the artistic path of his older brother, Tommy enlisted in the U.S. Army and worked as a radio DJ for the Armed Forces, and later performed as a musician with Hank Williams Jr.‘s band.
Tommy’s solo music career began to take off after scoring his first record deal in 1965. Three years later, he released his debut album, Here’s Tommy Cash, and scored his first top 10 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs in 1970 with “Six White Horses,” a tribute to John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The track, which reached No. 4, was later covered by country great Waylon Jennings.
Tommy scored two more top 10 hits on Hot Country Songs in 1970 with “Rise and Shine” and “One Song Away.” He went on to perform as a musician over the decades, teaming up with his big brother Johnny on “Guess Things Happen That Way” in 1990.
“He performed around the world throughout his career, carrying on the Cash legacy long after his brother, Johnny Cash, passed in 2003,” Miller concluded in his statement.
See the Johnny Cash Museum’s announcement about Tommy Cash’s death on Instagram here.
Nicky Jam is officially endorsing Donald Trump in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
On Friday (Sept. 13), the former president held a campaign rally at the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas, where the 43-year-old reggaetón veteran took the stage to show his support for Trump as he faces off against Vice President Kamala Harris in the November election.
In an embarrassing faux pas, however, the ex-POTUS mistakenly referred to Nicky as a “she” when introducing him to the crowd for his endorsement speech.
“Do you know Nicky? She’s hot. Where’s Nicky?” Trump said from the stage while looking off to the side for the “X” singer. A few moments later, the former president spotted the Latin star and quickly realized his mistake. “Oh, look, I’m glad he came up,” Trump said as he patted the musician’s shoulder.
Nicky, wearing a black sweatshirt and the Trump campaign’s signature red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap, then took the stage to deliver a brief statement.
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“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President. People that come from where I come from, they don’t meet the president. So I’m lucky,” said Nicky, who moved from Massachusetts to Puerto Rico at a young age. “We need you. We need you back, right? We need you to be the president.”
Nicky Jam is one of many music stars who have endorsed the 78-year-old businessman-turned-politician in his 2024 re-election bid. In late August, Puerto Rican reggaetón stars Anuel AA and Justin Quiles took the stage to support Trump at a rally in Johnstown, Penn. Other artists who support the former president include Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Kodak Black, Lil Pump, Sexyy Red and Billy Ray Cyrus.
Nicky, who announced last October that he’ll be “retiring soon,” recently opened up about the decision in an interview with Billboard.
“I’m not going to be a singer for the rest of my life,” he said over Zoom from his Miami home. “I think I’ll probably retire soon… Well, not retire. Singers never retire. You just tone it down.”
Nicky dropped his sixth studio album, Insomnio, on Sept. 6.
Jane’s Addiction‘s concert in Boston came to a sudden end on Friday (Sept. 13) when frontman Perry Farrell attacked guitarist Dave Navarro onstage.
The fan-captured altercation at Boston’s Leader Bank Pavilion broke out midway through the reunited band’s performance of “Ocean Size,” when Farrell became angry for unknown reasons and lunged at the Navarro’s shoulder. Farrell, 65, then continued to shout at the guitarist, 57, who appeared confused, and the singer ultimately threw a punch at Navarro.
“What the f—?” Navarro appeared to shout as crew members restrained Farrell and dragged him backstage. The guitarist then took off his guitar and walked off stage, ending the concert after 11 songs. Jane’s Addiction’s reunion shows have typically featured three or four additional performances.
Jane’s Addiction hadn’t publicly commented on the situation at press time. Billboard has reached out to the band’s representatives.
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Farrell’s wife, Etty Lau Farrell, took to social media shortly after Friday’s concert to share her version of the story in a lengthy message. “Clearly there had been a lot of tension and animosity between the members.. the magic that made the band so dynamic. Well, the dynamite was lit,” Etty Lau wrote on Instagram alongside a video of the onstage fight.
“Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band. Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.”
She added that an altercation had occurred backstage between her husband and Jane’s Addiction bassist Eric Avery, who “put Perry in a headlock and punched him in the stomach three times.”
“Perry was a crazed beast for the next half an hour — he finally did not calm down, but did breakdown and cried and cried,” Etty Lau wrote. “Eric, well he either didn’t understand what descalation meant or took advantage of the situation and got in a few cheap shots on Perry.”
Jane’s Addiction’s Live Nation-produced reunion tour — which finds the four original members hitting the road for the first time in 14 years — launched in early August. At press time, the band’s next show was scheduled for Sunday (Sept. 15) in Bridgeport, Conn.
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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A Bon Jovi & Pitbull Moment
Pitbull is in the midst of his Party After Dark Tour that kicked off Aug. 21 in Virginia. During his pitstop at the Jones Beach Theater in Long Island, New York on Thursday (Sept. 12), the Cuban-American global artist surprised fans with a special appearance by the iconic Bon Jovi. Together, the artists performed the timeless 2000 rock song “It’s My Life.” “Always an honor! To all the fans, get ready for our new collab coming soon,” Pitbull expressed in an Instagram joint post.
Noreh’s Major Career Move
With his infectious melodies and raw lyricism powered by his captivating vocals, Noreh has leaped from an indie artist to landing his first label signing with 5020 Records (launched by Sony Music).
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“We were independent for a while but I’m clear that every part of the process (as hard as it was) brought us here,” the Venezuelan artist and former Billboard On the Radar Latin act, expressed in an Instagram post. “I never included the word ‘dreams’ in my vocabulary because I felt that wanting big things was not for people like me and fortunately I was wrong! […] Right now they come together: the support you give me, my team working hard, our tattooed ballads + the new chance and a new team of people willing to add and amplify what we already do and even more important: that these songs reach many more corners. I’m 27 years old and this is just beginning. 5020, you and I will make a great album.”
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Noreh as a new member of the 5020 Records family,” Rafa Arcaute, president of 5020 Records said in a press statement. “His innovative approach to music and his ability to connect with audiences on a deep level make him the perfect addition to our roster of artists. We are excited about the opportunity to support his artistic development and help him achieve even greater success.”
NOREH x 5020
Erick Quituizaca
Our Finalists Are Here!
This week, Billboard and Telemundo unveiled the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards finalists with Karol G leading the pack with 17 nods in categories including artist of the year, tour of the year, and top Latin album of the year for Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season). The Colombian artist is followed by top nominees Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma with 15 nods each, and Feid with 11 nods.
The 31st annual Billboard Latin Music Awards will be broadcast on Telemundo on October 20 at 9pm ET from Miami. It will simultaneously be available on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo, on Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional. See the complete list of finalists here.
Peso Pluma and Karol G at the Billboard Latin Music Awards 2023 held at Watsco Center on October 5, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida.
Christopher Polk for Billboard
Latinos at the 2024 VMAs
In other awards news, the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards had a strong wave of Latin representation this week. Not only did artists such as Thalia, Danna and Camila Cabello strut the star-studded carpet, but a handful of artists also took center stage during the live telecast. Rauw Alejandro performed a stunning medley of “Touching the Sky,” “Diluvio,” and “Dejame Entrar,” Karol G made Taylor Swift dance merengue with her performance of “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” and Anitta delivered a Brazilian Funk fiesta, where she invited Tiago PZK for “Alegria.” The latter of the three won the silver moon person for best Latin for her single “Mil Veces.”
Anitta accepts the Best Latin award for “Mil Veces” onstage at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards held at UBS Arena on Sept. 11, 2024 in in Elmont, New York.
Christopher Polk
It won’t be hard for Kid Cudi to pursue happiness on Friday (Sept. 13) because his 2008 breakout debut hit “Day ‘N’ Nite” is now a diamond-certified record by the Recording Industry Association of America. The diamond certification is given to artists whose songs have moved 10 million units. Plus, Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” featuring […]
There was never a Plan B for Lil Tecca, who is gearing up to unleash his Plan A album next Friday (Sept. 20). Ahead of the LP’s arrival, the New York rapper stopped by Billboard News to discuss all things surrounding his new project and much more.
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Plan A serves as Tecca’s fourth studio album and boasts 18 tracks with a lone feature from Don Toliver and production from Taz Taylor and the Internet Money crew.
“I honestly got the name Plan A when I was about to finish Tec, my last album,” he said of the title’s inspiration. “I think it kind of summarizes where I was at in my life when I was probably 14 and I kind of decided that I wanted to rap and actually only rap. There would be people in class telling me, ‘Ay bruh, you know gotta have a backup plan and sh– like that.’ I’m like, ‘Not really, bro. I don’t really got no back-up plan.’”
Tecca added: “We recorded most of it in Miami. I was just in the studio every day with Internet Money, Taz [Taylor] and all of them. There were a couple songs I had did in New York and at the crib too. I didn’t produce a lot of it, but definitely my beat selection is what drives a lot of the production… The whole message is like decide what you want to do and do it.”
The 22-year-old also debunked the bizarre situation involving the Pennsylvania Army National Guard using his personal photo taken from his “Ransom” hit’s cover art as part of a recruitment flyer.
“That sh– is real,” he said. “I seen that sh– on Twitter — I’m like, ‘What is going on right now? … They got in contact with the people that was responsible and he’s like, ‘Sorry, we used the picture by accident.’ He used super-big words. Basically that’s what he was saying, ‘We didn’t know this was an artist.’ My thing is that picture doesn’t exist without ‘Ransom.’”
“Ransom” arrived in May 2019 as Tecca’s breakout smash when he was just 16 years old. It eventually reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 when it peaked at No. 4. The track’s currently 8x-platinum.
“That was my first time hopping on a beat that was not from YouTube,” Lil Tecca revealed. “That was my first time ever taking edibles in the studio. I had edibles and a drink from Starbucks.”
Juice WRLD eventually hopped on the official remix and Tecca reflected on being amazed watching a master at work in the studio with the late rapper.
“That right there was one of the craziest moments ever,” he said. “I remember when I first met him he was like, ‘Ay bro, this flow hard.’ That was my first time ever meeting someone that I seen online that was going crazy at the time and actually gave me an opinion on my music… It really meant a lot, bro.”
Tecca went on: “All the stuff he would say to me and actually seeing him work. Seeing it. Seeing it in person though — it was crazy… He did the verse. He did it in one take. It kind of fried me because I didn’t really know people were doing stuff like that at the time. I was really used to writing s–t and reading it off my phone.”
Plan A hits streaming services on Sept. 20. Watch the full interview below.
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In a new interview, LL Cool J admitted to being nervous about the response his 14th solo album The FORCE would get, saying that he had a hard time sleeping the night it dropped. However, when he checked social media, he was relieved by the positive response.
“When I told people, ‘Yo, I wanna do a culturally relevant album’ in the midst of all these [younger artists], people looked at me like I had nine heads,” the 56-year-old told Variety. “They looked at me like I was a hydra — a hydra! — looking at me crazy like that, not because of any ill will, but just ‘How can you do that?’”
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While the genre has welcomed older acts, their mainstream success has been hit-or-miss, unless you’re Jay-Z, Nas or Eminem. LL was up for the challenge, though, saying, “It’s like breaking the 4-minute mile. Nobody thought it could be broken until Roger Bannister did it, and then a lot of people started breaking it.”
Adding, “Now you’ll see, when [The FORCE] has success, you’ll see people believing that they can make it happen, and it’s gonna extend the life of hip-hop in general. But if somebody doesn’t do it, if I don’t do Rock the Bells and [other] festivals and show that guys without records in the marketplace still can be relevant, and then if I don’t tell you that a guy who’s been out for a long time can make a new record and be relevant — if nobody does it, it never happens.”
Also, before LL worked with Q-Tip on his latest release, he says he recorded a bunch of songs with Dr. Dre, but the Queens MC wasn’t confident in the raps he laid down, so he decided to start over. “That would have meant I would have more confidence in him than I have in myself when it needs to be equal,” he told the outlet. “He deserves a better LL than that. For me to go in there and not give Dr. Dre the best possible LL, it’s not fair to him and it’s definitely not fair to me, because it means I’m not taking advantage of the opportunity.” He continued by saying, “We both knew it wasn’t there. The sonics were there, but I gotta deliver on the writing. I’m not putting nothing out if I don’t feel it’s right.”
Later in the interview he revealed that he and the late Michael Jackson have unreleased songs stashed away and that the King of Pop was inspired by LL’s song “I’m Bad” to make his own “Bad” song. “Me and Michael Jackson went to the studio, man,” he said. “Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to hip-hop. Let’s be clear: For me, he’s the king. I’m a Michael Jackson fan, B. His talent speaks for itself.” Adding, “[Former Def Jam chief] Russell [Simmons] played my record for him and Quincy [Jones], and they got inspired. That’s OK.”