Music
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In decades past, the BBC Proms were considered an austere, sometimes stuffy showcase of classical music at London’s Royal Albert Hall. But in recent years, pop and rock acts have risen to the challenge to be a part of the programming, with Sam Smith taking on a performance backed by the BBC Orchestra earlier this summer.
Last night (Sep 11), Florence + The Machine played their 2009 debut Lungs in full for their first – and only – live performance in 2024, backed by conductor Jules Buckley and his orchestra. The Proms were first held in 1895, and have been organised by the BBC since 1927. The events take place over an 8-week stretch in the summer each year.
The show – dubbed “Symphony of Lungs” – saw many classic tracks be performed live for the first time in decades. “Bird Song” had not been played by the band for 15 years, while fan favorites “Drumming Song” and “My Boy Builds Coffins” were brought back into the setlist after lengthy absence.
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Speaking to the crowd, Florence Welch said that the album captured her “messy and chaotic” teenage years and spoke of the challenge revisiting the songs. “I really had a time re-learning these songs ‘cause these [vocal] ranges are crazy,” she said from the stage. “Because you’re young and you’re drunk and you only think you’ll ever sing them one time.”
Watch footage from the show below.
The event was one of the season’s most in-demand events with tickets selling out instantly upon announcement earlier this year. A limited batch of tickets released on the day of the event, with prices as low as £8 ($10), saw a queue form online that reached over 20,000 hopeful attendees.
Lead singer Florence Welch and the band worked extensively with conductor Jules Buckley to adapt the songs for his orchestra. Speaking to Vogue, the singer said it was an offer she couldn’t refuse. “When [the invitation] came in, they were like, ‘We know you’re off, but would you…?’ and I was like, ‘Yes!’”
Fan favorites including “Dog Days Are Over”, “Kiss With A Fist” and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” were all performed, fusing elements of the string section and her own band expertly. Lungs was a instant-hit upon release, landing at No.1 on the U.K. Albums Chart and No.14 on the Billboard 200.
Florence + The Machine released their most recent album Dance Fever in 2022, which was another chart topper in the U.K. and reached No.14 on the Billboard 200. Earlier this year, Welch collaborated with Taylor Swift on The Tortured Poets Department cut “Florida!!!”, which peaked at No.8 on the Billboard Hot 100.
See the show’s full setlist below.
“Drumming Song”“My Boy Builds Coffins”“You Got the Love” (Candi Staton cover)“Bird Song Intro”“Bird Song”“Swimming”“I’m Not Calling You a Liar”“Kiss With a Fist”“Howl”“Girl With One Eye”“Hardest of Hearts”“Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”“Blinding”“Hurricane Drunk”“Cosmic Love”“Between Two Lungs”“Dog Days Are Over”“Falling”
Katy Perry‘s career-spanning medley and passionate Vanguard acceptance speech at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday (Sept. 11) kept fans on their toes — including Taylor Swift, whose jaw dropped more than once during the showcase.
One of the “Anti-Hero” singer’s biggest reactions came when the night’s main honoree said something that definitely needed censoring during the ceremony’s live broadcast: “… and the LGBTQ community, who I recognize I wouldn’t be here without, and who showed me that you can be both kind and c—.”
At hearing the C-word come out of Perry’s mouth, Swift froze in the middle of clapping, opened her mouth in disbelief, then turned around to look at longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, who pointed at the 14-time Grammy winner as she smiled and nodded.
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Other memorable moments came when the “Woman’s World” artist started her speech by saying she’d done her entire performance while “on the first day of [her] period,” which also made Swift stop in her tracks before nodding with dazed encouragement. Moments before, when Perry was performing her medley to celebrate winning 2024’s Video Vanguard honors, the Eras Tour headliner totally stopped dancing as her jaw dropped with shock as the former American Idol judge started kissing her “I’m His, He’s Mine” collaborator, Doechii, in a position that would make the most flexible yoga enthusiasts envious.
Swifties — many of whom were watching the pop star’s reactions on the VMAs‘ live audience cam more than the actual show itself — were totally here for it. “Taylor Swift’s reaction to Doechii and Katy Perry kissing is priceless,” one person wrote, while another added, “taylor gagged over ‘you can be both kind and c—‘ is SENDING ME.”
At other points in the night, Swift took home seven different Moon People — including video of the year for “Fortnight” — which ties her with Beyonce for most-awarded in history with 30 awards total over the past two decades. But fans of both the “Karma” artist and Perry were perhaps most heartened to see the former dancing along to the latter’s set and cheering her on as the “Roar” vocalist accepted the Vanguard prize from partner Orlando Bloom.
That’s because the two pop stars have a storied past, involving a yearslong feud that the pair eventually settled in 2018. A year later, Perry joined Swift in her “You Need to Calm Down” music video, solidifying their friendship once more.
Watch Swift react to Perry’s Vanguard showcase below.
Jay-Z will be splitting eights and doubling down on 11 at the blackjack table this weekend.Hov and Michael Rubin are hosting an invite-only blackjack tournament in Atlantic City on Sunday (Sept. 15), reps for the Fanatics CEO confirmed to Billboard. (Page Six was first to report the news.) Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and […]
In early 2018, the future looked bright for corridos singer-songwriter Codiciado. Grupo Codiciado, the band he’d co-founded three years prior, was rapidly rising: After breaking onto Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart in 2017 with “Gente de Accionar,” the act reached No. 8 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart with Miro Lo Que Otros No Miran (I See What Others Don’t). And with its success, the group was helping define the urban style of Rancho Humilde, the Los Angeles-based label known for its modern take on música mexicana.
Then, on a cannabis possession charge, Codiciado’s visa was revoked at the U.S.-Mexico border that April. He’d migrated to the States in 2016, working in Southern California’s agricultural fields to support himself as he tried to get his music career off the ground. Now, the physical walls along the border of his native Tijuana — and the legal restrictions preventing his reentry — stood in his way.
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It was a devastating turn of events. “I really wanted to stop. I didn’t want to make music,” the 31-year-old artist (born Erick de Jesús Aragón Alcantar) admits today. “I had a hard time when I left. I had no work; I was making my whole career in the United States. I thought that something divine wanted me to leave, like someone didn’t want me here. Then I put on my pants and said: ‘Well, if I’m here [in Mexico], I have to give it my all.’ At the end of the day, I was very hopeful [about] getting my visa back.”
Instead of letting the visa revocation end his career, Codiciado built a new one. Driven by a reborn creative conviction and fans’ support, he split from Grupo Codiciado and went solo. “The people gave me encouragement to say that it wasn’t over, that it was just a stumbling block,” he says. “I had to keep going.”
Growing up in Tijuana’s Villa del Real III neighborhood — an impoverished place, but one rich in Mexican music — Codiciado absorbed the culture of his surroundings. Influenced by icons like Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Explosión Norteña, he began writing songs as a teenager and channeled his environment’s chaos into his music.
Codiciado’s first songs were inspired by the infamous drug kingpins of Sinaloa and written in part out of financial necessity. Drug lords often pay songwriters to have corridos written about them, and though Codiciado notes that he “didn’t know about cartels in those days, just what I heard on the street,” getting the work marked a career turning point for him. As he honed his musicianship, he teamed with longtime friend and drummer Giovanni Rodríguez to form Grupo Codiciado in 2015, recruiting four more members in Tijuana.
The group organized and recorded a concert by the end of the year, drawing millions of views on YouTube; one of those videos amassed 233 million views alone. Its frequent new releases helped it cultivate a loyal fan base, and soon the band was headlining festivals throughout Tijuana. The following year, Rancho Humilde signed the act and it came to the U.S.
“Erick was the first artist who brought this new style to Mexican music eight years ago with Grupo Codiciado,” says Fabio Acosta, who is part of Codiciado’s four-person management team. “They were pioneers in changing the genre’s style, shifting from very decorated suits with fine stones to incorporating streetwear.”
Codiciado’s sense of style, now common among modern corridos acts like Natanael Cano and Fuerza Regida, was ahead of its time. “I had disagreements with older colleagues,” he recalls. “Many took it as an offense, saying, ‘No, man, we’re the same, and you’re wearing do-rags, caps and sneakers, while we’re here with cowboy hats and boots.’ ”
“He was at the forefront of this new wave of corridos,” says Chris Den Uijl, another member of Codiciado’s management team. “He was one of the first to show up in Air Force 1s and have a more progressive style.”
Codiciado performing at Toyota Arena on May 3, 2024 in Ontario, Calif.
Lalo Gonzalez
Since late last year, Den Uijl has overseen Codiciado’s touring strategy alongside Aaron Ampudia, with whom he co-founded festivals including Baja Beach Fest and Sueños. In fact, Ampudia, who has roots on both sides of the border, was the first of the current management team to connect with Codiciado, through a mutual friend. Ángel del Villar, founder of corridos label DEL Records, rounds out the team. “[My managers] are helping me to give structure to my work, to my company, to my band, to my music,” Codiciado says. (He releases music independently and has a distribution deal with Warner.)
As Codiciado’s career blossomed and he debuted on the Billboard charts, his life took a sudden turn. In 2018, while crossing into the United States from Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused him of residing stateside on a nonresidential visa and sought to revoke it. “I kept saying I had a work visa and traveled back and forth frequently,” he says. “Then, upon checking my bag, they found less than a gram of marijuana that I don’t know how the hell got there. I was detained for 12 hours without [access to] a lawyer. They had me sign for voluntary deportation, renouncing my visa and rights. A lawyer would have told me not to sign and to go to court.”
Back in Mexico, Codiciado felt “frustrated and alone” as he watched música mexicana move on without him. Rancho Humilde founder and CEO Jimmy Humilde “started signing new acts like Fuerza Regida,” Codiciado says from his home in Riverside, Calif. “One year went by, two years went by, three years went by, and nothing happened [with getting my visa back].”
Finally Codiciado decided, he says, “to get my act together” — including formally separating from Grupo Codiciado, which disbanded in 2021 and released its last single as a band, “Maquinando,” in February 2022. He doubled down on his solo songwriting and in 2023 put out his first solo album, Golpes de la Vida (Blows of Life), distributed by Virgin Music U.S. Latin; he wrote and produced 17 of the set’s 20 songs himself.
The album kept the essence of his sound intact, while recent singles like 2024’s “Gabachas” have embraced the rising trend of electrocorridos — electronic music with corridos instrumentation woven and sampled throughout. As he’s chronicled the monumental shifts in his life amid his visa struggle (including becoming a father for the second time; he has a 10-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son), his lyric writing has deepened as well. “The biggest lesson was that I had to keep pushing and not wait around. If I had waited, I wouldn’t have grown. Despite leaving the group, I can say I made it. I returned a different person.”
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With legal assistance and the proper paperwork, Codiciado returned to Southern California with a new visa (he declines to specify what type) in 2023. Earlier this year, he completed the aptly named — and very successful — five-date Ando Enfocado (I’m Focused) tour; Live Nation is producing a second, eight-date run that will take Codiciado from coast to coast in September and October.
“He’s touching the young corridos kids [with] this new generational sound,” Den Uijl says. “He has a large fan base of regional Mexican fans that are showing up in cowboy hats and are going up to him saying things like, ‘You helped me get through my hardest times.’ Grown men crying to him saying, ‘You gave me the strength to stick through it when I lost my job to find the next one.’ Things like that really touched me watching it at his first wave of his shows.”
Meanwhile, Codiciado has returned to the Billboard charts. He made his solo debut in February 2023 with “V.A.M.C. (Vamos Aclarando Muchas Cosas En Vivo),” which peaked at No. 31 on Hot Latin Songs; the track also reached No. 29 on Regional Mexican Airplay. And “Gabachas” debuted at No. 41 on Latin Airplay and hit No. 9 on Latin Pop Airplay.
“I’m an artist with eight years [of experience]. Maybe many have come up faster and achieved what I haven’t yet in less time. But I’m the only one who has done it this way,” Codiciado says. “Maybe I bring two, three, four hits a year, but they are hits that are staying with the people and have a message.”
But now, his ambitions go beyond achieving commercial success. Codiciado’s work with La Fundación UFW, founded by civil rights activist César Chávez, underscores his dedication to the immigrant community at large. “We as a society have to be more noble and empathize more with people who don’t have,” he says. In April, KNAI (La Campesina 101.9) Phoenix, the radio station Chávez founded in 1983, announced a collaboration with Codiciado to deliver hot lunches to local farmworkers. “We should help people if we have the means,” Codiciado says. “God gave [to] us to give back. The more I have, the more I help.”
And as his influence grows, Codiciado wants to effect broader change, too. “I want to change minds. I can’t change everyone, but [artists] do have the influence to make big changes, just like a politician,” he says. “Our audience is very large, and revolutionarily speaking, that’s what I aspire to be.”
This story appears in Billboard‘s Rumbazo special issue, dated Sept. 14, 2024.
Billboard Latin Music Week is returning to Miami Beach on Oct. 14-18, with confirmed superstars including Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Sanz and Peso Pluma, among many others. For tickets and more details, visit Billboardlatinmusicweek.com.
Six months after announcing his departure from his long-time label home, MCA/Universal Music Group Nashville, country singer-songwriter Kip Moore has signed a global deal with label services company Virgin Music Group.
The first track through the new deal will be “Live Here to Work,” out Sept. 20. Of the song, Moore says, “It pushes the envelope a bit, but we wanted to come out swinging.” The teaser Moore posted to his Instagram shows him playing a blistering guitar lick on the rock-oriented song.
“I was excited to make this record as a truly independent artist, but wanted to remain open to partner with a team if and when it made sense,” Moore tells Billboard. “I enjoyed getting to know the Virgin team, and their tenacity, passion and their focus on a global plan made this feel like the next best step.”
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“I have been a fan of Kip’s for years now. His music’s universal themes transcend genre and appeal to a huge variety of music fans,” added Jacqueline Saturn, president of Virgin Music Group North America and executive vp of global artist relationships, in a statement. “Along with his music, his commitment to relentless touring has helped him build a powerful global fanbase. We know this next phase of his career is going to be amazing.”
Four of Moore’s five albums released through MCA reached the top 5 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and he landed five top 5 songs on the Country Airplay chart, including his 2011 No. 1, “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.” His most recent set was 2023’s Damn Love.
The gravelly-voiced singer’s career has not been led by country radio, but he adds, “Virgin is equipped and ready for a radio campaign if we decide that’s the best path.”
Furthermore, he says it’s too soon to gauge the difference of signing with Virgin as opposed to a Nashville-based label. “I think it’s fair to say, except for maybe the very initial releases, none of my career has been ‘traditional.’” he says. “We’ve been seeing a real growth internationally from touring there the past few years, and so it felt natural to go with a team that has tentacles in a lot of different territories, particularly the countries I have toured extensively. UMGN was really great…UMGN always let me seek my own vision. Sometimes it’s just time for a change and right now this new situation feels good. They’re eager and want to put in the work. I guess I’ll know the differences once we are off and running.”
Moore has built an especially robust following in South Africa as a live draw and will headline the inaugural Cape Town Country Festival, held Oct. 26-27, at Cape Town, South Africa’s 60,000-capacity DHL Stadium. In 2023, Moore’s three shows in Cape Town and Pretoria, South Africa, sold 44,000 tickets. Prior to Cape Town, Moore has gigs in New Zealand and Australia this month. The Cape Town show will be followed by the U.S. portion of his Nomad World Tour, which starts Nov. 11 in Columbia, S.C.
Karol G leads the list of finalists for the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards, with 21 nods in categories including artist of the year, tour of the ytear, Global 200 Latin artist of the year, and top Latin album of the year for Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season), Billboard and Telemundo announced Thursday (Sep. 12).
For the third consecutive year, the Colombian star garners the greatest number of entries for a female artist, after achieving 15 in 2022 and 13 in 2023. Her song “Qlona,” with Mexican star Peso Pluma, competes for six awards — including Hot Latin Song of the year, Global 200 Latin Song of the year and Sales Song of the Year — while her hit “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” garners two nods, for Latin airplay song of the year and Sales Song of the year.
Following Karol G are Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma with 15 nods each. Bunny competes, among others, for Artist of the Year, Global 200 artist of the year, and tour of the year. His song “Perro Negro” with Feid, including Global 200 Latin song of the year, Hot Latin Song of the Year, and Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event. His album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana competes for Top Latin Album of the Year and Latin Rhythm Album of the Year.
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Pluma, meanwhile, is up for Artist of the Year, Global 200 Artist of the Year, songwriter of the year, and regional Mexican album of the Year for Éxodo. In addition to his six entries with Karol G for “Qlona,” his hit “Lady Gaga” with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H competes for two awards: Hot Latin Song of the year, vocal event and Streaming Song of the year.
Feid boasts 11 entries. In addition to the five he achieved for “Perro Negro” with Bad Bunny, he also competes for Global 200 Latin artist of the year, and Latin rhythm album of the year for Ferxxocalipsis.
With eight entries are regional Mexican acts Fuerza Regida and Junior H, both artist of the year finalists. The group also competes, among others, for Hot Latin Song of the year, vocal event for “Harley Quinn” with Marshmello, as well as Top Latin Album of the year and regional Mexican album of the year with Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada. Junior H is also a Top Latin Album of the year and regional Mexican album of the Year finalist for $adBoyz For Life II.
Other artists with multiple mentions include Xavi (7), Grupo Frontera y Mike Towers (5), Aventura, Gabito Ballesteros, Kali Uchis, y Shakira (4), Cris Mj, Eslabon Armado, FloyyMenor, Julión Alvarez y su Norteño Banda, Marc Anthony, Prince Royce, Rauw Alejandro y Young Miko (3), ATL Jacob, Edgar “Edge” Barrera, Grupo Firme, JOP, Luis Figueroa, Maná, Marshmello, Natanael Cano, Piso 21, Reik, Venesti and Wisin (2).
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.
This year’s awards will be presented in 49 categories spanning major Latin music genres, from Latin pop to tropical, and Latin rhythm to regional Mexican.
The Latin Billboard Music Awards are the only ones that recognize the most popular albums, songs and performers in Latin music, according to Billboard‘s weekly charts. Produced by Telemundo and MBS Special Events, they coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returns to Miami Beach Oct. 14-18 with a roster of star speakers including Alejandro Sanz, Gloria Estefan, Danny Ocean, Peso Pluma and many more. Get your tickets today for the Billboard Latin Music Week 2024 here.
See the complete list of finalists below:
OVERALL ARTISTS CATEGORIES
Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Fuerza Regida
Junior H
Karol G
Peso Pluma
Artist of the Year, New
Gabito Ballesteros
Oscar Maydon
Tito Double P
Xavi
Young Miko
Tour of the Year
Aventura
Bad Bunny
Karol G
Luis Miguel
RBD
Crossover Artist of the Year
ATL Jacob
Cardi B
Marshmello
Rema
Tiesto
Global 200 Latin Artist of the Year
Bad Bunny
Feid
Karol G
Peso Pluma
Xavi
SONGS CATEGORIES
Global 200 Latin Song of the Year
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
Feid & ATL Jacob, “Luna”
FloyyMenor & Cris Mj, “Gata Only”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Myke Towers, “Lala”
Hot Latin Song of the Year
Bad Bunny, “Monaco”
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
FloyyMenor & Cris Mj, “Gata Only”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Xavi, “La Diabla”
Hot Latin Song of the Year, Vocal Event
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
FloyyMenor & Cris Mj, “Gata Only”
Fuerza Regida & Marshmello, “Harley Quinn”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Peso Pluma, Gabito Ballesteros & Junior H, “Lady Gaga”
Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Male
Bad Bunny
Feid
Junior H
Peso Pluma
Xavi
Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Female
Anitta
Karol G
Kali Uchis
Shakira
Young Miko
Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Eslabon Armado
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Firme
Grupo Frontera
Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda
Hot Latin Songs Label of the Year
Double P
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Warner Latina
Latin Airplay Song of the Year
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
Karol G, “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Myke Towers, “La Falda”
Myke Towers, “Lala”
Latin Airplay Label of the Year
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Warner Latina
Sales Song of the Year
Bad Bunny, “Monaco”
Karol G, “Mi Ex Tenía Razón”
Karol G, “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Xavi, “La Diabla”
Streaming Song of the Year
Bad Bunny & Feid, “Perro Negro”
Calle 24, Chino Pacas & Fuerza Regida, “Qué onda”
Karol G & Peso Pluma, “Qlona”
Peso Pluma, Gabito Ballesteros & Junior H, “Lady Gaga”
Xavi, “La Diabla”
ALBUM CATEGORIES
Top Latin Album of the Year
Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana
Fuerza Regida, Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada
Grupo Frontera, El Comienzo
Junior H, $ad Boyz For Life II
Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Male
Bad Bunny
Feid
Junior H
Peso Pluma
Rauw Alejandro
Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Female
Becky G
Kali Uchis
Karol G
Shakira
Young Miko
Top Latin Albums Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Aventura
Eslabon Armado
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Frontera
Grupo Marca Registrada
Top Latin Albums Label of the Year
Double P
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
LATIN POP CATEGORIES
Latin Pop Artist of the Year, Solo
Enrique Iglesias
Kali Uchis
Luis Fonsi
Sebastián Yatra
Shakira
Latin Pop Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Camila
La Oreja De Van Gogh
Maná
Piso 21
Reik
Latin Pop Song of the Year
Danny Ocean, “Amor”
Maná & Edén Muñoz, “Amor Clandestino”
Piso 21 & Wisin, “La Misión”
Reik, “Abril”
Venesti, Nacho & Maffio, “No Es Normal”
Latin Pop Airplay Label of the Year
AP Global
Intercope Capitol Label Group
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Warner Latina
Latin Pop Album of the Year
Chayanne, Bailemos Otra Vez
Jay Wheeler, Música Buena Para Días Malos
Kali Uchis, Orquídeas
Kany García, García
Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
Latin Pop Albums Label of the Year
Columbia
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Warner Latina
TROPICAL CATEGORIES
Tropical Artist of the Year, Solo
Juan Luis Guerra
Luis Figueroa
Marc Anthony
Prince Royce
Romeo Santos
Tropical Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Aventura
Gente de Zona
Grupo Niche
La Sonora Dinamita
Monchy & Alexandra
Tropical Song of the Year
Luis Figueroa, “Bandido”
Marc Anthony, “Punta Cana”
Myke Towers, “La Capi”
Prince Royce & Gabito Ballesteros, “Cosas de la Peda”
Víctor Manuelle feat. Frankie Ruiz, “Otra Noche Más”
Tropical Airplay Label of the Year
Interscope Capitol Label Group
Magnus
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Warner Latina
Tropical Album of the Year
Aventura, Generation Next
Camilo, Cuatro
Marc Anthony, Muevense
Prince Royce, Llamada Perdida
Tropical Albums Label of the Year
Discos Fuentes
Sony Music Latin
The Orchard
Universal Music Enterprises
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
REGIONAL MEXICAN CATEGORIES
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Solo
Carin León
Ivan Cornejo
Junior H
Natanael Cano
Peso Pluma
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Eslabon Armado
Fuerza Regida
Grupo Firme
Grupo Frontera
Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda
Regional Mexican Song of the Year
Alejandro Fernández, “Difícil Tu Caso”
Banda MS, “Tu Perfume”
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga, “Dios Bendiga Nuestro Amor”
Banda Los Recoditos, “Vas a Querer Volver”
Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda, “Buscándole a la Suerte”
Regional Mexican Airplay Label of the Year
Afinarte
Azteca
Grupo Frontera
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Regional Mexican Album of the Year
Fuerza Regida, Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada
Grupo Frontera, El Comienzo
Junior H, $ad Boyz For Life II
Natanael Cano, Nata Montana
Peso Pluma, Éxodo
Regional Mexican Albums Label of the Year
Double P Records
Grupo Frontera
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Warner Latina
LATIN RHYTHM CATEGORIES
Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year, Solo
Bad Bunny
Feid
Karol G
Myke Towers
Rauw Alejandro
Latin Rhythm Artist of the Year, Duo or Group
Baby Rasta & Gringo
Jowell & Randy
Mambo Kingz
Wisin & Yandel
Zion & Lennox
Latin Rhythm Song of the Year
Aaantonio, “El Hotel”
Daddy Yankee, “Bonita”
Natti Natasha, “Ya No Te Extraño”
Venesti, “Umaye”
Wisin & Mora, “Bien Loco”
Latin Rhythm Airplay Label of the Year
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Warner Latina
Latin Rhythm Album of the Year
Bad Bunny, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana
Feid, Ferxxocalipsis
Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Rauw Alejandro, Playa Saturno
Tainy, Data
Latin Rhythm Albums Label of the Year
Interscope Capitol Labels Group
Neon 16
Rimas
Sony Music Latin
Universal Music Latin Entertainment
WRITERS / PRODUCERS / PUBLISHERS CATEGORIES
Songwriter of the Year
Alexis Armando Fierro Román
Edgar Barrera
JOP
Peso Pluma
Xavi
Publisher of the Year
Double P Publishing, BMI
Prajin Music Publishing, BMI
Street Mob Publishing, BMI
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp, BMI
Universal Music, Inc., ASCAP
Publishing Corporation of the Year
Downtown Music Publishing
Kobalt Music Group
Sony Music Publishing
Universal Music
Warner Chappell Music
Producer of the Year
Edgar Barrera
Ernesto ‘Neto’ Fernández
JOP
MAG
Ovy On The Drums
Stop me if you know you’ve heard this one before. Despite the end-times detente between long-battling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis that recently led to their announcement of a 2025 UK tour, some things in the music feud world never change.
Case in point: the Smiths. The legendary British purveyors of sorrowful rock broke up acrimoniously in 1987, and based on their latest alleged loggerheads it seems certain that they are never, ever getting back together. Not even to re-release their old music, according to lead lamenter Morrissey.
In a post on his official blog on Wednesday (Sept. 11) titled “Smiths Not OK,” the 65-year-old singer claimed that his ex-bandmate and chief nemesis, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, has “blocked” the release of a planned greatest hits compilation. “The proposed greatest hits album by The Smiths entitled Smiths Rule OK! has been blocked by J Marr,” he wrote, in a post featuring a classic pic of the four-man Manchester band and what he said was a new cover image of their 1983 debut single, “Hand in Glove.”
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Morrissey said that the single and hits comp were slated for release this year worldwide by Warner Records along with a deluxe box set of the band’s 1984 self-titled debut album, which featured such beloved tales of woeful misery as “Reel Around the Fountain,” “Miserable Lie,” “Still Ill” and “What Difference Does it Make?” The singer said the 40th anniversary edition of the album was to be packaged with a new 7-inch of the single “This Charming Man” as well.
“Warner approached Morrissey and [graphic designer] Darren Evans to assemble artwork for all four releases, all of which were rejected and halted out of hand by J Marr,” Morrissey wrote. At press time it did not appear that band composer Marr — whose iconic jangly, ringing guitar tone was as crucial to the band’s sound as Morrissey’s laconic, sad-eyed vocals and lyrics — had responded to the singer’s claims and a spokesperson for Marr had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
During their brief, but highly impactful tenure, The Smiths released just four full-length studio albums, all of which featured songs that have become alt rock landmarks, including “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore,” “Meat Is Murder,” “Bigmouth Strikes Again,” “The Boy With the Thorn in His Side,” “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” “Girlfriend in a Coma,” “Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me” and, of course, “Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.”
Morrissey paid loving tribute to late bassist Andy Rourke — with whom he and Marr had also feuded with over the band’s royalties — in May 2023 after Rourke’s death at 59 from pancreatic cancer. “Sometimes one of the most radical things you can do is to speak clearly. When someone dies, out come the usual blandishments… as if their death is there to be used. I’m not prepared to do this with Andy,” the singer wrote at the time.
Last month, Morrissey posted a note claiming that in June of this year AEG Entertainment made a “lucrative offer” to both Morrissey and Marr to reunite for a Smith’s world tour in 2025, to which he claimed he said yes while Marr “ignored the offer.” In keeping with the sniping acrimony between the former bandmates, the misanthropic singer added that while he “undertakes a largely sold out tour of the USA in November, Marr continues to tour as a special guest to New Order.”
For the record, Marr is slated to kick off a headlining North American tour with opener James on Sept. 17 at the Paramount Theatre in Denver that will run through an Oct. 18 gig at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN.
While the Gallaghers have miraculously managed to set aside their sibling rivalry for a run of shows most fans never thought would happen, the alleged greatest hits snit suggests the animosity between Marr and Morrissey will continue apace after nearly 40 years of public barbs and insults, blocking a much-desired get back from one of the most influential and beloved British indie rock bands of all time.
As Keith Urban describes writing “Break the Chain” — the raw, confessional song about stopping destructive generational patterns that closes his new album, High — he provides tremendous insight into his creative process.
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“I started playing this guitar that [co-writer] Marc Scibilia had in his studio with flat-wound strings and a rubber bridge, and it just made this interesting sound,” he explains. “The opening riff was what I played, and I started singing these words and the song just came out. I had no intention of addressing some of my raising and [having] an alcoholic father.”
Urban himself is, of course, a father of two daughters with wife Nicole Kidman. “I don’t know if my dad, who passed away a long time ago, would be okay with the song or not, but he would love that it’s truthful, and the intent of it is a forward motion of trying to do things different,” he offers. “I guess I’m still working through things that I thought I was long at peace with.”
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Urban surprised himself a few times in making his 11th studio set, out Sept. 20 via Capitol Records Nashville, including building the bones of the album from a discarded effort at a concept album he’d named 615. “I attempted to make a very different record, and that didn’t pan out, so I scrapped it and followed my muse and ended up with this album,” he says.
In February 2023, Urban brought in the 615 album to play for his team. “I thought they were going to go, ‘Great job, Keith! Let’s get these singles out, let’s get this tour booked!’ And instead, it was just crickets,” he says. ‘And I was like, “Oh, OK, this is not the record.’ I said to everybody, ‘Let’s push the tour off to 2025 and let me go finish a proper album.’”
Keith Urban
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Urban, who was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June, crafted a very different set — one that stands as the most diverse in his career, with the songs straddling the line from the intensely personal aforementioned “Break the Chain” and “Heart Like a Hometown,” to the good-time, windows-down “Straight Line,” the flirty Lainey Wilson duet “Go Home With U” and the heartbreaking “Messed Up as Me,” which rises to No. 19 with a bullet on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart this week.
Billboard caught up with the multiple Grammy winner via phone, as he talked about the album, the state of country radio, why he sold his master recordings — and what he really thinks about the super-sized albums so many artists are releasing these days. Urban, who has earned 20 career Country Airplay No. 1s, kicks off a 10-show residency at the Fountainebleau in Las Vegas Oct. 4.
Why do you think 615 didn’t come together?
Look, I’ve never had a theme for a record. I think I was trying to do something — and that’s the death of it all. I was trying to do something instead of just letting it unfold. The only songs that felt like they really flowed were “Messed Up as Me,” “Daytona,” “Break the Chain” and “Heart Like a Hometown.” So, I thought, “I’ll just take those four and build out a new batch of songs around them — because these songs feel right, but they now need their counterpoint songs to make a cohesive album.”
You made a very deliberate effort when sequencing this album to have the tempos change from each song to the next. You did this in a time that people generally don’t listen to albums from start to finish.
I don’t! But sequencing also is my way of figuring out what songs I don’t need on the record.
Would you like for fans to listen to High all the way through from start to finish?
I like that it can be played top to bottom and be a good experience. If you want to get in a long car ride, it’s only 40 minutes. But if you just want to put it on and let it go, I hope it gives you a very similar feeling to what it’s like coming and seeing us in concert, if we did a 40- minute set. We’d come barreling out the gate and then we’d go to some other places — but hopefully it would always keep moving in a way in which whatever the very next song is would feel good, from an emotional standpoint and an energy standpoint.
You ultimately landed on 11 tracks, which is short these days!
I’ve never been a fan of the 25-35 song album. I’m like, “In 2024? Really?” It’s just not my thing. I just wanted to make a strong, concise, cohesive record. And these 11 tracks felt like that to me.
[The super long album] doesn’t do any good in the long run. In some ways, it’s sneaking back to this problem that we had with albums back in the day [where] there was only two good songs on an album with 10 songs on it and the rest was just filler and fans got sick of it. That’s why when iTunes came along and said, “Hey, you can just buy one song,” everyone went, “Hallelujah.” We’ve gone full circle again by doing that sort of manipulating the system with 30 songs. If every one of them is fantastic, great — but they’re not. There’s no way they can be. It’s impossible.
This is your 11th studio album. What do you know about making albums now that you didn’t know earlier? [Urban breaks out into laughter.] Well, maybe given the experience with 615, that’s not a great question.
It’s moreso a reaffirmation of the way which I prefer to make records, which is a much bigger blend of loose fun and spontaneity. I don’t mean that there isn’t work involved, because obviously there’s huge amounts of work involved. But pretty much every record I’ve ever done has a certain flow about them. The balance that most of my albums have had is a mix of introverted, gravitas moments and musicianship, and then just complete loosey-goose, mindless fun. And balancing those two worlds together has always been the way I prefer to make records. 615 didn’t have the fun factor in there. It was just a bit too earnest.
There are a lot of songs on here about drinking and drinking to excess, including the totally loosey-goosey “Laughing All the Way to the Drank.” As someone who’s been in recovery for a long time, do you ever have pause about not wanting to send a drinking message?
None at all. Separate to my recovery journey, I’m exactly the guy I’ve always been in my spirit and my edge and devilishness, whatever you want to call it. All that stuff that happened coming up playing in the clubs in Australia, and then paying my dues here — all of that is still a big part of who I am. And so now I sing those songs from having been in those places.
“Messed Up as Me,” I know exactly who that guy is. “Laughing All the Way to the Drank,” I know exactly who that guy is. But in a lot of these cases, I’m also singing to people in the audience. I see that guy in the audience every night. He doesn’t seem to have a lot, but he seems to be the guy having the best time, and he’s a hard-working dude Monday to Friday. He’s my dad. My dad was up at 6 a.m. and he’d be drinking all the night before. So those songs are all places, people I know. They’re real songs in that regard, every one of them.
Lainey Wilson and you duet on “Go Home With U,” which you co-wrote with your buddy Breland. How did that one come about?
I wrote this song with Breland, Sam Sumser and Sean Small in 2020. That’s one of the quarantine-type songs where everything was shut down, and we so missed being in a packed club with your friends and music and fun, fun, fun. It was never written as a duet, but then I wanted to find something to do with Lainey — because I just knew our voices would sound good together. She loved it and she sang the second verse and sent it back to me. She sent a bunch of options, because she had to change the melody to suit her key, and then just did some ad lib bits and pieces. I just sifted through it all and chopped it and edited it. She just killed it.
What about a full album from you two?
I would do that. She’s so fun.
In December 2022, you sold your master recordings to Litmus Music, including 10 studio albums and a greatest hits compilation. Why?
The timing felt good. I really liked [co-founders] Dan McCarroll and Hank Forsyth at Litmus, and I felt good about where it was going. So [it] definitely wasn’t just about selling it — “Ka-Ching!” I wanted to feel good about where it was going and that I could stay involved. I’ve stayed involved with all of those masters — and, hopefully, we’ll get to do that as we keep moving forward.
I kept all my publishing as a writer. I always remember the famous Willie Nelson story about his selling “Crazy” for 50 bucks, and Willie’s attitude was “I needed the 50 bucks and I got it, so I was happy.” There’s something kind of wonderful about that, just keeping it in perspective.
Country fans are now streaming at much higher rates than previously and country radio is not the only way for fans to discover music. How has your relationship with radio changed?
I find radio is still very important because, at the end of the day, they’re all ways in which our audience can discover our music. And one of the beautiful things about radio that still exists is you get to just have this flow of songs, so you’ve got it on in your car or your workplace, your home, wherever it is, and you’ve got this flow going.
I love the fact that radio is still a thing and that it’s still as strong as it is. There’s a huge amount of people that still haven’t turned on the tap yet for streaming. There’s a lot of people who do all of it. It’s not necessarily either/or and certainly a lot of my audience is a blend of all of it. I’ve got long relationships with lots of radio people and I’m really grateful for that.
It’s not every day that you wake up to a loving shout-out from one of the planet’s biggest pop stars. But that’s where Bay City, Texas rapper That Mexican OT is right now after Beyoncé gave him a loud and proud stamp of approval in an email interview with GQ in which the “Texas Hold […]
Green Day is heading down under next year for a multi-date stadium tour.
The Rock Hall-inducted rock trio’s The Saviors Tour will swing into Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on March 1, followed by Engie Stadium in Sydney on March 3, and wrap March 5 at CBUS Super Stadium, on the Gold Coast.
Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool will play in full Dookie, which this year marks its 30th anniversary, and American Idiot, celebrating its 20th year. The set list will include cuts from Saviors, their 14th and latest album, and hits from across their career.
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West Coast rockers AFI is the support, marking their first dates in Australia since 2017.
“We’ve never been more excited to unleash new music than with Saviors, a record that’s meant to be rocked live, together,” reads a statement from Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. “And we cannot wait to return to Australia, it’s been way too long. So let’s thrash.”
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Live Nation and Triple M are presenting the Australian leg of Green Day’s world tour.
Green Day is always welcome in Australia. Earlier this year, Saviors arrived at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart, for the rockers’ 12th top 10 album here. Three of those LPs led the national chart: Dookie (in 1994), American Idiot (2004) and Father Of All Motherf—ers (2020).
The California band was last booked to play Australia and New Zealand in 2020 for the four-date Hella Mega Tour, also featuring Fall Out Boy and Weezer. That run, however, was cancelled due to the pandemic. The Saviors Tour will be their first visit to these parts since 2017, in support of Revolution Radio.
Green Day’s Saviors Tour made headlines last week when their performance at Comerica Park in Detroit was paused when a unauthorized drone was reportedly spotted hovering within sight of the stage. The bandmates were pulled from the stage, mid-song, returning 10 minutes later.
Green Day’s “The Saviors Tour” – Australia 2025 With AFI
March 1 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne
March 3 — Engie Stadium, Sydney
March 5 — Cbus Super Stadium, Gold Coast