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Dream Into It is Billy Idol‘s first new album in 11 years — but hardly his first new music during that period. Since 2014’s Kings & Queens of the Underground, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee has released a pair of EPs (The Roadside in 2021 and the following year’s The Cage). So why did Idol take the plunge this time?
“I realized I have to do the same amount of press for the EPs as an album, so I thought, ‘F-ck this. Come on, let’s make an album!’” he tells Billboard via Zoom from his Los Angeles home, with the same smirk that was as much a trademark in his ‘80s videos as his leather vest and fingerless gloves.
Dream Into It, which comes out April 25, is not just an album but a concept album — about Idol. Its nine tracks, divided into two halves (“Dying to Love” and “I’m Reborn”), rock hard while also documenting his life and times, from the youthful aspirations expressed in the title track to remembrances of his early days in England’s nascent punk rock scene (“77” with Avril Lavigne), his misadventures with substances and other self-destructive behaviors (“Wildside” with Joan Jett and “Too Much Fun”) and his shortcomings as a mate and father (“People I Love”). It all leads up to self-awareness and corrections (he’s been sober since 2010) that leave Idol defiantly, joyfully “Still Dancing” by the end of the album.
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“We’ve been making a documentary since ’19,” Idol says of a new film project, Billy Idol Should Be Dead. “It kept getting interrupted by the coronavirus and everything. Writing (songs), I was bouncing off the documentary. I was running into a lot of thoughts about the past — and today and the future, one part of me in the past, one in today and one part me looking forward. That’s very much what the album’s about.
“A song like ’77,’ it’s about everything that was going on then in England during that punk rock era with the politics and the division and people turning to violence…and I just wonder if it’s not so different today in America, you know? (The album) covers a lot of ground.”
Steve Stevens, Idol’s guitarist and main collaborator since 1981 and co-writer of all but one track on Dream Into It, wasn’t entirely surprised to see his partner take that narrative approach. “I’d seen Billy spending a lot more time with his grandkids and stuff, so he was in a bit more reflective headspace, I think, and wanted to reflect that on the album,” Stevens says. “There’s a lot of shared experiences for both of us. Our parents are no longer there, and we’d reminisce about a lot of that crazy stuff we had experienced and seen and felt. There was a lot of good juice to work with.”
Dream Into It does present Idol as he is today — particularly as a dedicated family man in songs such as “Gimme the Weight” and “I’m Your Hero” — but he acknowledges that the deep immersion into his life gave him valuable perspective. And regrets.
“My drug addiction and stuff affected the sort of relationships I had with people, and even sort of the job I did,” says Idol, a Billboard Hot 100-topping artist and three-time Grammy nominee. “You wish you hadn’t got caught up in all that, ’cause it took a long time to overcome them — 15 to 20 years to really get control of yourself to where today I don’t really even drink. And you’re gonna let down the people you love. You’re gonna hurt them — even my parents couldn’t understand me…and I know they were worried.”
But 48 years after the first Generation X single, Idol makes no apologies for making music his life’s pursuit.
“I didn’t want to follow in my father’s footsteps,” the man born William Broad explains. “That’s what we were looking for in music. That’s what rock n’ roll was giving us at the time, a sense of freedom. That’s what music did for me in a lot of ways, and that’s what I’m singing about on the album. And then you have the life now, with grandchildren…It makes you feel like you’re reborn in a way. You’re seeing life anew, through them.”
Dream Into Life was produced by The Cage collaborator Tommy English, who, along with Nick Long, also co-wrote the songs. (“John Wayne,” featuring Alison Mosshart of the Kills and the Dead Weather, was previously released on a 2008 compilation.) It’s a rocking set, to be sure, recorded in Los Angeles primarily with Stevens, current AC/DC bassist Chris Chaney and Josh Freese on drums. “We’ve got a band-sounding album, that’s what it sounds like to me — which is something I’ve always gone for with my music,” Idol says. “With me and Steve, the idea’s always, ‘Yeah, it’s a solo artist, but really we’re looking for a band feel,’ like me with a three-piece, just old school. I don’t think I’ve really been with just a three-piece since Generation X. We very much got that on this record.”
Idol says having duets on Dream Into It was “kind of fantastic. I’ve never really done that before. It gave an extra dimension to the songs because the (singers) could sort of answer what I’m singing about. Joan and Alison and Avril are really dealing with a similar thing to me, a lifestyle, the rock n’ roll lifestyle, that’s not completely normal ’cause we’re not completely normal people to be doing it in the first place.” Jett — who will be supporting him on tour this year — goes back a long way with Idol and, he notes, shared the “Wildside” that they sing about on the album.
“I’ve known Joan since, what…1978 maybe,” Idol recalls. “We used to hang out at the Whisky (a Go Go) and all those places. She could sing (as) the female that felt the same way — they have a wild side, too. We all do.”
Idol plans to make Dream Into It a significant part of his sets for the It’s A Nice Day To…Tour Again! outing, which begins on April 30 in Phoenix, wraps up Sept. 25 in Los Angeles and includes Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. “The great thing about it is I think we’ve done an uptempo, youthful sounding album; even the ballads aren’t necessarily slow, so (the songs) are gonna be fun to do,” he says. “We’ll intersperse the new stuff with the old stuff, I think, so at first maybe five songs and then we’ll see what the reaction to the album is and as time goes by maybe we’ll put more songs in. And I’m touring with Joan, so it’s likely we’ll do ‘Wildside’ on the tour.”
As for Billy Idol Should Be Dead, which premieres at Tribeca Festival in Manhattan on June 10, the rocker says he “didn’t want it to be just a glorified Behind the Music. I wanted it to be a little better than that, so we’ve worked really hard on it. I’m hoping the album and documentary will bounce off each other. You should get the full picture of my life with all that.”
And, Idol acknowledges, he won’t at all mind if a Rock Hall induction becomes a capstone for the story later in the year.
“That’d be an incredible thing,” says Idol, who participated in last October’s induction for Ozzy Osbourne and has ranked consistently in top five of the fan voting, which closed on April 21. “Ozzy’s induction was really good fun. It was a great night. I ran into so many people I knew, and then I met a load of people, too. It’d be fantastic to be inducted, yeah.”
Kevin Hart is set to host the 2025 BET Awards.
Airing live on BET on the East Coast (and tape-delayed on the West Coast) on Monday, June 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, the show will again be held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles. It will be Hart’s second time hosting the show. He previously hosted in 2011. And it’s the 25th anniversary of what BET likes to call “Culture’s Biggest Night.”
“I love a celebration!,” Hart said in a statement. “I’m truly honored to host the 25th BET Awards and celebrate the culture’s biggest night. This year marks the 25th anniversary, and my partners at Hartbeat, BET, and JCE are pulling out all the stops to make it a night to remember. It’s a Black-Tie affair, and you’re all invited. Tune in live on June 9th, only on BET.”
Hart has received four Primetime Emmy nominations and two Grammy nominations. In 2023, he topped Billboard Boxscore’s list of top 10 highest-grossing comedy tours of the year.
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In 2024, he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Those who turned out to honor Hart included Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, J.B. Smoove, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Nick Cannon and Keith Robinson.
Hart has a robust history with BET, beginning as host of stand-up comedy showcase Comic View: One Night Stand in 2008. Hart also executive produced and starred in Real Husbands of Hollywood, the scripted parody series that premiered in 2013. On March 6, BET+ launched Lil Kev, the streamer’s first adult animated comedy series, based on Hart’s childhood and family, and produced by Hart’s entertainment company, Hartbeat.
“Kevin Hart is a powerhouse of an entertainer,” said Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming & music strategy at BET. “His impact spans comedy, film, television, and beyond. As we celebrate 25 years of the BET Awards, we couldn’t think of a more dynamic host to lead this historic night. Kevin’s unmatched charisma, comedic brilliance, and deep-rooted connection to our culture make him the perfect choice to commemorate this milestone event.”
“For over a decade, Kevin Hart has been a beloved part of the BET family, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him return to host the 25th anniversary BET Awards,” said Scott Mills, president and CEO of BET. “His unparalleled talent, infectious energy, and deep connection to our audience make him the perfect host for this historic celebration.”
Orlando serves as the executive producer for the 2025 BET Awards, in tandem with Jamal Noisette, SVP of tentpoles & music community engagement, for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
As previously reported, The BET Experience 2025 (BETX) returns June 5–8 in Los Angeles with four days of immersive fan events, leading up to the BET Awards on June 9.
Tina Knowles has revealed that she recently battled breast cancer — but with Beyoncé and Solange by her side, she had all the support she needed until she finished her treatment.
On the day of her memoir Matriarch‘s launch Tuesday (April 22), Billboard‘s 2025 Mother of the Year exclusively revealed to People that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer last July. She received the news after missing a scheduled mammogram two years prior, which could have helped her catch the tumor sooner.
“I forgot that I didn’t go to get my test two years before I thought I had, because COVID came, and they called me and canceled me, and they said, ‘We’ll call you when we start testing again,’” she told the publication. “And I just thought I had done it. So you cannot play around with that.”
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“It’s important not to slack on your mammograms,” she added. “I think as women, sometimes we get so busy, and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
To treat the cancer, Knowles underwent surgery late last year to remove a tumor in her left breast. Throughout her treatment, the designer says that her two daughters — plus bonus daughter Kelly Rowland — were unified as her support system, writing in Matriarch, “My girls became my team.”
Knowles also shared in the book how her daughters reacted when she first received her diagnosis. While the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer “took it well, staying positive … I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision,” Knowles says Solange told her, “We are going to take care of this.”
Now, the Cécred co-owner tells People she’s “doing great” — “cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early” — and enjoying everything that’s happening this month, from the memoir’s launch to the April 28 kickoff of Bey’s highly anticipated Cowboy Carter Tour. She also revealed that she’s currently dating, sharing coyly, “Uh, I … I am spending time with a friend, yes.”
“A very nice gentleman,” added Knowles, who was previously married to Bey and Solange’s father, Mathew Knowles, and Richard Lawson, from whom she split in 2023. “We’ll see what happens.”
Nearly three decades into his Hall of Fame career, Lil Wayne is set to headline NYC’s Madison Square Garden for the first time on June 6. It’s going to be a celebratory night at one of the world’s most famous arenas, as Weezy will be releasing his anticipated Tha Carter VI album the same day. […]
The first time Chiquis felt that she was making an impact with her music was with the release of her fourth studio album, Abeja Reina, in 2022 — eight years into her career.
“I felt confident by that time. I felt like this is what I was meant to do,” she tells Billboard. “I went to perform at El Lunario with that album. My fans in Mexico hadn’t seen me in a long time, and a lot of people were saying that I looked and sounded different on stage. Bringing the songs to the stage gave me that push of, ‘This is who I am and I’m finally here!’ It was an album where I was kind of unapologetically being myself, and I think that resonated with people. They felt that.”
The set earned Chiquis her second Latin Grammy Award for best banda album in 2022. She first won the same award with Playlist in 2020 and is the current titleholder with Diamantes (2024), making history as is the first and only solo female singer to date to win the award.
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As the eldest daughter of the late Jenni Rivera, Chiquis (real name: Janney Marín Rivera) embarked on her own singing career in 2014, two years after her mother’s passing in a plane crash in 2012. Her debut single, “Paloma Blanca,” was a tribute to La Diva de la Banda, earning her first top 10 Billboard hit on the Latin Digital Song Sales chart. The heartfelt song also became her breakthrough on Hot Latin Songs, debuting and peaking at No. 36 that same year.
Over the course of her 10-year career, the Mexican-American singer has earned 12 entries on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart, with three of those reaching the top 10. Notably, her highest-charting single, “Mi Problema,” climbed to No. 7 in December 2021. She also dominated the Top Regional Mexican Albums chart, securing two No. 1 albums: Ahora in 2015 and Entre Botellas in 2018.
But her accomplishments extend far beyond music. She’s also a philanthropist and entrepreneur, who will be honored with the Impact Award at 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music event on Thursday, April 24 for her “professional endeavors in the music industry and society at large,” and for pushing boundaries and sparking change in both music and culture.
“I have to use my voice, not just to sing, but to send light and radiate love, and talk about the things that really matter to me,” says Chiquis, who in tandem with her musical career also launched her Boss Bee Nation initiative in 2014, to help those in need. “A lot of artists are afraid to speak their truth or stand behind what they believe in because it might affect and trickle their streams, but I don’t like to worry about that. I feel that if I’m my authentic self and use my platform for things that I believe in, and my heart is in the right place, you’re not going to lose the people who are important to you.”
Chiquis Rivera poses in the press room with the award for Best Banda Album “Diamantes” during the 25th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on November 14, 2024.
ZAK BENNETT/AFP via Getty Images
Her platform became key to continue elevating the Latino community.
“We began giving out scholarships because I’m a huge advocate for education. Knowledge is power,” she elaborates. “Then, I adopted families for Christmas. If they couldn’t afford a nice holiday, we started doing that. We’ve also taken music, gifts, and donations to the farm workers in the fields. Anything that my heart points me to, that’s where I go.”
Below, Chiquis shares more on how she’s forging her own path.
Which artist made you believe you could have an impact outside of music?
The only person I can think of is my mom because she was a businesswoman. Business was my first love, and I saw that she did it well. That’s one thing I want artists to know about, the business side of music, and I’m so grateful to have that school with my mom. For sure, she was the person who made me believe, 100%, that I could do both things — be in music and a business owner.
Besides my mother, the artists who have impacted my music career have been, of course, Shakira, Ana Gabriel, Celia Cruz, Selena, even Karol G. Seeing everything that Karol’s been doing completely inspires me to this day. Carla Morrison, how vulnerable she can be in her lyrics — it’s helped me to write differently, especially in the moment I’m in right now.
How has your experience been as a woman in regional Mexican music, which is still a still male-dominated genre?
I love to see how our genre has grown so much, and how the men are more accepting of women in the space. I was there when it was a big taboo. I saw it since I was very little with my mom — her wanting to sing, and people questioning her. Now I have so much compassion for my mom, but that’s exactly who we needed: the women who are daring. It still is very male-dominated but not as much as before, and I love that we can push through. Someone like Jenni Rivera really paved the way. Today, I see more unity among women in regional Mexican, and the more united we are, the more powerful we’ll be. I love to be able to represent women and be a voice in this genre, because las mujeres pueden … abso-freaking-lutely!
What does your state of mind look like going into 2025, and how do you plan to make this year more impactful than 2024?
I took a little bit of soul space to reconnect with myself and what I wanted to write about. I think it’s very important to get passionate and fall in love all over again with my art. This time I’ve taken for myself has helped me to get inspired. Last November, I felt something shifting in me. I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt different. I think winning the third Latin Grammy marked a turning point in my career. I feel a different type of confidence. In early February, I felt the epiphany and began to understand the change in my life. I had my creativity blocked, and I didn’t know what was happening, but then I realized that I needed to look inward. I did a spiritual retreat for three weeks, and it helped me tremendously, to the point that I want to sing things I never sang about.
This year, I have my new series called Foodie on the Go; my Chiquis Sin Filtro show on VIX is in its second season; my podcast Chiquis and Chill is in its fourth season; I have my first children’s book called The Girl Who Sings to Bees coming out in July, which I’m very excited about; and I’m already going to the studio to start music. A lot of different music is coming, but still with that special Chiquis sauce. Also, I think I’m going to start touring towards the end of the year. Sometimes you need to take a step back and look in to get inspired again.
What does receiving the Impact Award mean to you?
I’m so grateful I can cry. It means so much because for a long time, I thought I believed in myself, but it was superficial in a way. Now, I can tell you that I really believe in myself, and to know that it’s had an impact and inspired other people, that is why I’m here and part of my mission. Everything that I’ve been through, all the adversities and criticism, has been worth it, because if I can inspire one person and impact their life so that they can follow their dreams, that to me is worth every tear and every late night. I’m so honored and grateful to get this award. It’s been tough, and moments like this make me feel like people are recognizing my hard work. It’s truly an effort.
The third annual Billboard Latin Women in Music special will air live at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 24 exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
Read Billboard’s Latin Women In Music 2025 executive list here.
Horst Weidenmüller, founder of the pioneering Berlin-based label !K7 Music, will posthumously be presented with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Libera Awards on June 9 at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Weidenmüller died in February at age 60 following what was only described as “a long illness.” The award recognizes his visionary leadership, decades-long contributions to independent music, and his role in shaping the global electronic and experimental music landscape.
The Foundation for Independent Music (FIM) and The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) also announced the host and performers for the 2025 Libera Awards, which are presented by Merlin. The show will be hosted by Delisa Shannon, Billboard’s shortform content director, while performers include Latin pop artist Reyna Tropical, American music trailblazer Swamp Dogg, art-rock punk trio Ekko Astral and genre-bending singer-songwriter serpentwithfeet.
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But the posthumous presentation to Weidenmüller will likely be the emotional highlight of the event.
“Horst was a true trailblazer whose influence transcended borders and genres,” Dr. Richard James Burgess, president/CEO of A2IM, said in a statement. “Through !K7, he not only championed innovative and genre-defying music but also helped build the very infrastructure that so many independents rely on today. We’re honored to recognize his extraordinary legacy with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Through his work, both as an entrepreneur and as a long-standing board member of Merlin and IMPALA, Weidenmüller shaped and strengthened the global indie community. One of his proudest achievements was seeing !K7 become a certified B Corp last year.
“This Lifetime Achievement Award is not only a recognition of his extraordinary work — it’s a tribute to his spirit,” added Tom Nieuweboer, managing director at !K7. “It’s now our task to carry his legacy forward, with the same courage, clarity, and love for music that defined him.”
The accolade coincides with the upcoming 40th anniversary of !K7 Music, which Weidenmüller established in 1985. It’s his second major award in recent months. In December, prior to his death, Weidenmüller was recognized with the IMPALA Outstanding Contribution Award for his work in the European independent music sector.
The 14th annual Libera Awards ceremony features 28 categories celebrating the best in independent music, including leading artist nominees such as MJ Lenderman, Waxahatchee and Jessica Pratt. Here’s the full nominations list.
Tickets are on sale now and open to the public.
The 2025 Libera Awards Presented by Merlin kicks off the annual Indie Week conference, which runs from June 10 to June 12 at the InterContinental New York Times Square.
Kesha is celebrating being a “free f–king woman.” The singer sat on the couch on the Kelly Clarkson Show on Tuesday (April 22) for a chat about her upcoming album and her new(ish) status as the owner of the independent label Kesha Records. “My first release is . [Period],” Kesha, 38, said of her upcoming […]
Bailey Zimmerman currently has a hot hit collab with BigXThaPlug on “All The Way,” which debuted at No. 4 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, but that’s not the only monster collaboration he’s got up his sleeve.
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Zimmerman and stadium headliner Luke Combs will soon team up to release a new track called “Backup Plan.”
They gave fans a sneak peek at the track on Monday (April 21) with a video of the two artists singing the song together, and the new track seems to be an ode to ambitious dreamers everywhere.
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“You gotta fire, don’t lose it/ If you got a do-or-die dream, do it,” Zimmerman sings in the clip, as Combs then takes the lead, singing, “If you’ve got somethin’ to prove, go on and prove it.” They join forces on the verse: “Don’t let nobody clip your wings.”
Careening rock guitars surge as they continue their defiant, uplifting anthem on the lines, “Close out the doubters/ All the closed-minders” before deadpanning, “Gettin’ back up is the only backup plan you need.”
The pair did not reveal when the collab would arrive, teasing in the caption only that it is “coming soon.”
Combs is slated to be a headliner during this weekend’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, Calif., while Zimmerman’s next show is May 3 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Zimmerman is also slated to play during Morgan Wallen’s upcoming Sand in My Boots festival in May, and at June’s CMA Fest in Nashville, while Combs is slated to perform at upcoming festivals including the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., and Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.
See their teaser video below:
Anjula Acharia remembers when the one person who had set her up for success told her she was going to fail. And Jay-Z was there, too. In 2008, Acharia and Interscope Geffen A&M’s then chairman, Jimmy Iovine, were sharing breakfast at a New York hotel. Iovine — who had partnered with Acharia’s South Asian music/news […]
In 2019, pop star Belinda earned her first Billboard top 10 hit. That rarified chart milestone didn’t come from a pop hit, but rather, from “Amor a Primera Vista,” a cumbia sonidera with Los Ángeles Azules, Lalo Ebratt and Horacio Palencia that peaked at No. 2 on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart. It was the first time that Belinda entered the chart, a feat that underscores not just the artist’s versatility but her resilience.
Co-written by Belinda, Descemer Bueno and Palencia, the track that fuses traditional Mexican cumbia sounds with soft hints of reggaetón not only marked the Spain-born, Mexican-raised star’s return to the Billboard charts after four years, but it also introduced a bold new sound that she had never done before, and ultimately the música mexicana era she’s in today.
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Thanks to that capacity for continuous reinvention, the singer and actress is receiving the Evolution Award at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala on Thursday, April 24.
“Life has been a journey full of learning, growth, and constant evolution — both personally and artistically,” she tells Billboard. “This recognition not only celebrates my career, but also the power of reinvention and continuing to explore new chapters. I feel more inspired than ever and excited to share this new musical era. Being honored on a night that celebrates such powerful and talented women makes this moment even more special.”
Though the artist born Belinda Peregrín Schüll has a trajectory that spans 25 years, she admits she hasn’t had time to stop and truly reflect on the moment she became a bonafide Latin star.
“I keep working while having many goals, and to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever, at any point in my life, thought ‘Wow, I made it!,’ which is something I should do,” she says. “I’m always thinking about new ideas, new songs, new challenges, new projects, but I’ve never taken the time to think, ‘Okay, I’ve achieved all this.’ ”
But she has achieved a lot, and along the way, rightfully earned her place in the Latin pop realm.
Belinda was only 10 years old when she was cast as the lead in the Mexican children’s telenovela Amigos x Siempre in 2000, but it was her self-titled debut album that catapulted her into the musical spotlight three years later. The set — home to her timeless pop tune “Ángel” — earned her a first top 10 entry on a Billboard chart, reaching No. 6 on the Top Latin Pop Albums chart in 2003. Her four studio albums since, including Utopia (2006), Carpe Diem (2011), and Catarsis (2013), have also entered the top 10 on the chart.
Meanwhile, hits such as “Bella Traición,” the Pitbull-assisted “Egoísta,” and “Amor a Primera Vista,” have displayed her ease to navigate different genres from rock to EDM to reggaetón to cumbia. Never one to shy away from experimentation, Belinda has now branched out into música mexicana, tagging her new fare as “Beli Bélica” in a wink to the genre’s corridos bélicos. However, Belinda’s songs steer away from drug dealer exploits and rather focus on lyrics about heartbreak and being coquettish.
“The first corrido tumbado artist I heard was Natanael Cano. He was the first one who made me say, ‘Wow, Mexican music sounds different. It doesn’t sound like it used to,’ ” she recalls. “At that time, someone also told me: ‘You’re a woman, you’ll never be able to sing corridos or regional music, because it doesn’t suit you.’ They told me I couldn’t sing it because it was for men and that I would look ridiculous. And a couple of years later, here I am singing that style.”
Defying all odds, Belinda officially evolved into her corridos era with the release of “Cactus” in Jan. 2024, which also marked her debut single with Warner Music México after signing an exclusive record deal in Aug. 2023.
“I’d been thinking about doing corridos tumbados for a couple of years, but it just sort of happened,” she explains. “ ‘Cactus’ was a song that started out written in a notebook; it didn’t really have a melody because it was a feeling I had to express, and suddenly we turned it into music. We knew it was the right song at that moment, and that it would represent a new musical phase in my life.”
That new phase was shortly followed by her first collaborative effort with Natanael Cano in “300 Noches,” which she coined as a “corrido coquette” because of its dreamy pop undertones; “La Mala,” an unapologetic trap-corrido; and her team-up with Tito Double P on “La Cuadrada,” which secured a No. 23 spot on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart in March.
“I know there are many who don’t like it,” she says of her Beli Bélica era, but if there’s anything that her música mexicana collaborators have taught her, it’s to “go with the flow.”
“I’ve learned not to take everything so personally and to listen to myself,” she elaborates. “To listen to what I feel, what I think, and what I like, because no one is going to agree with you 100% and no one is going to have your vision 100%, and as long as you’re happy with what you’re doing and writing, the audience will accept it well because you’re doing it from the heart.”
Belinda & Tito Double P
Bri Diez
And even though she found a new sound — while also being active on social media and connecting with new and loyal fans — Belinda remains true to her pop essence. Her single, “Jackpot,” with Kenia Os, peaked at No. 10 on the Latin Pop Airplay in February.
“Belinda isn’t a musical genre,” she emphasizes. “I’ve been through all the musical eras, and my favorite word to describe my career is versatile. It’s the perfect word to define my style. Now, with Mexican music, we’re going back to the basics. It reminds me a lot of how music used to be. I love that I can go back to what it was like to make a song with real instruments and not rely on a computer program. It feels like I’m going back to what music used to be.”
Now, with her new “go with the flow” mentality, Belinda says a new studio album is on the horizon, one that she’s creating specifically for those “independent women who are completely irreverent but at the same time strong, sexy, fun.”
But first, she’s taking it easy.
“I’m trying to rest because in 2024 I didn’t rest at all. I spent almost all my time writing the album. It was a lot of emotions in one year. This year I’m going to take the time I need to finish my album. I just want to enjoy every moment, every stage, every project,” she concludes.
The third annual Billboard Latin Women in Music special will air live at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 24 exclusively on Telemundo, Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.
Read Billboard’s Latin Women In Music 2025 executive list here.
