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Ángela Aguilar has a tangible presence — even over Zoom. It’s mid-February and the 21-year-old singer is all smiles, almost giddy, as she joins our call from Mexico City, where she’s hunkered down in a studio working on her next album. “You probably didn’t recognize me because it’s a new me,” she says, referencing the shoulder-length, soft chocolate brown style that has replaced her signature short bob. “I do miss being [The Incredibles character] Edna ‘E’ Mode,” she adds with a grin, “but I’m enjoying this new stage.”
The “new me, new stage” goes beyond the new hairstyle. Ángela, the youngest of the Aguilar dynasty — her father is música mexicana icon Pepe Aguilar, her grandparents legendary Mexican entertainers Antonio Aguilar and Flor Silvestre — married fellow regional Mexican superstar Christian Nodal last July in an intimate ceremony in Mexico (a subject she prefers to keep private and not discuss during our interview), and for the first time, she’s producing her own music.
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“I doubted myself a lot because I had never [produced] before, but I’m figuring out what I want my sound to be,” says Ángela, whose father produced all of her previous albums, including her latest, Bolero, which was nominated for album of the year at the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards. “At the beginning I was scared, but now I know that this album is me. It’s also scary to think if it goes well, it’s because of me, but if it goes badly, it’s also because of me.
“This is the first time I’m doing everything myself,” she continues. “I’m taking care of the arrangements, choosing the songs, directing myself vocally.” And for this project, she’s especially focused on supporting other female talent. “Most of the songs on the album are written by Mexican women. It’s a full mariachi album, but it is a little bit different; it has a modern twist, some subgenres in mariachi that you are not expecting me to ever sing.”
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While this may be her first time flying solo, Billboard’s 2025 Women in Music Breakthrough honoree has for a while been on a journey of self-discovery behind the scenes, carefully strategizing how she moves through a genre that has been historically dominated by men. “It’s been a process of trial and error,” she says. “I’m still figuring out who I want to be and what I want to say.”
Her father has consistently encouraged that process. “My dad is the biggest macho ever, but he’ll be like, ‘Vas mijita. You can do it.’ Or he’ll tell me, ‘You’re not singing good enough, you have to be better.’ It prepares you to take on the world.”
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Ángela made her stage debut as a toddler when she joined Pepe at one of his concerts. Five years later, at age 8, she released her first album, a joint set with her older brother Leonardo Aguilar. The two later joined Pepe on back-to-back arena tours when he launched Jaripeo Sin Fronteras in 2018, honoring the jaripeo-style show — singing while riding horses — that their grandparents pioneered. Along the way, Ángela landed three No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart and four top 10 hits on Latin Airplay, including her first No. 1 on that chart, “Por el Contrario,” with Leonardo and Becky G, last year.
“No one really asked me if I wanted to do this,” she says when reflecting on her start in music and her journey from child star to regional Mexican fixture. “It just happened and I’m happy it was that way. When you’re younger, you don’t realize how huge this is. I just thought it was fun getting to dress up and sing with my grandparents or dad and then everyone clapped for me. But when I was around 10 years old, I fell in love with performing and I thought, ‘This is what I’m here for.’ ”
With her grandmother’s vibrant falsetto and a mesmerizing, regal presence onstage, Ángela makes even the difficult skill of singing on horseback look effortless. As might be expected for someone from a family of born performers, she is extremely disciplined and has a strict routine: Besides training to sing on horseback, she sings while running or dancing to build her vocal projection and physical energy. But her diligence hasn’t stopped her talented family from giving her their opinion.
“It’s constructive criticism,” Ángela says with a smirk. “We don’t see each other as often so when we do, it’s like, whoa, they definitely catch me up on their feedback. I’m in the studio working on my new album and I showed my mom one of the songs — it was literally a demo on a voice note — and my mom was like, ‘You have to open your mouth when you sing because I don’t understand what you’re saying.’ And my dad is the same way. It really helps me. I don’t want people to tell me something is good when it isn’t. There’s a lot of yes men in the industry, so the best thing in the world is to have a whole family who is part of this artistic life.”
Pooneh Ghana
Her mother, Aneliz Aguilar, is also her manager, and has been pivotal in helping Ángela navigate the industry. “Having her by my side has saved me,” Ángela says. “She has taken care of me in this industry that is so difficult for young women, so difficult to have your voice heard. She’ll also ask how I’m feeling or if I’m emotionally prepared for something. I mean, she’s my mommy, I love to have her with me. From the dresses she would make for me when I was little to now showing me how to be a woman, I’ve learned so much from her.”
Mid-conversation, another important family member enters the screen. “Look at Gordo,” she says, picking up the family’s Instagram-famous 4-year-old pug. “He’s going to be a dad — my [other] doggie is pregnant, and she will have pugsitos with Gordo. I’m going to be a grandma.” (A couple of weeks after our interview, five adorable pugsitos arrive.) Then she adds with a shrug, “Actually, it’s weird because my dad says Gordo is my brother but he’s having babies with my dog, who is my daughter. I’m not sure what that makes me.”
But for now, figuring out this family tree will have to wait: Ángela is headed back to the studio to keep working on her new album. “I’m getting out of my comfort zone but still honoring my roots and traditions. I just turned 21, so it’s kind of like exploring where I want my career to take me.”
Pooneh Ghana
This story appears in the March 22, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Jack Black is fired up and ready to rock on the first soundtrack song from his upcoming adventure flick A Minecraft Movie. And he’s bringing along some friends. Black dropped the classic rock burner “I Feel Alive” last week, a thundering jam featuring Who-like screams and 1970s KISS disco rock vibes. Explore See latest videos, […]
Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Frank Ferrer is speaking out about what the group called an “amicable exit” from the band after nearly two decades. In his first statement since GNR’s announcement last week that he would be replaced by former AWOLNATION time keeper Isaac Carpenter, Ferrer posted a statement on Instagram over the weekend.
“The outpouring of love I have felt from the incredible fans of Guns N’ Roses and my peers over the past 24 hours has been tremendous,” he wrote. “I will have immense gratitude and love always for Axl and the band while at the same time, disappointment that this chapter came to an end.”
Last week, less than 24 hours after Guns announced that Ferrer would amicably be leaving the group after 19 years, they thanked their longest-running drummer for “his friendship, creativity and sturdy presence over the past 19 years, and they wish him success in the next chapter of his musical journey.” Ferrer joined Guns N’ Roses in 2006, taking over from Bryan “Brain” Mantia, who had joined in 2000. Ferrer’s last appearance with the band was at Mexico’s Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in November 2023, which is also the most recent live performance from the GNR.
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In his place they announced 45-year-old Carpenter, who performed in a GNR cover band in high school called .22s and Tulips, before that group turned into the group Loudermilk, which got signed to Rick Rubin’s American label while the members were teens. Following the band’s break-up, Carpenter played drums in AWOLNATION for a decade, and also logged time playing with McKagan’s side project, Loaded, as well performing and recording with Adam Lambert, Barbarians of California, A Perfect Circle, The Exies, Ours and Black Lab, among others.
In his post, Ferrer added, “It has been an incredible 19 years. Guns N’ Roses has given me life-changing memories and experiences. A huge thanks to management, the crew, and fans for giving me memories that I will cherish for my lifetime. I hope I see you all again soon!”
GNR’s will kick off their Because What You Want & Want You Get Are Two Completely Different Things tour on May 1 in South Korea.
Mariah Carey is taking her Celebration of Mimi tour overseas. The singer announced on Sunday (March 23) that she’ll honor the 20th anniversary of her 2005 album with a run of international dates in Asia in May and this fall. “We’re taking The Celebration of Mimi worldwide! I can’t wait to see you all during […]
Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed he’ll perform from a throne — possibly even a flying one — at what’s being billed as Black Sabbath’s final-ever performance.
Set to take place July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, the Back to the Beginning show will see the Prince of Darkness reunite with his legendary bandmates for one last ride, albeit in a slightly more seated fashion.
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The 76-year-old singer, who has dealt with neck and spinal injuries as well as Parkinson’s disease, now occasionally uses a wheelchair, but he’s determined to make this moment count.
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Ozzy’s longtime collaborator and guitarist Zakk Wylde teased that the frontman could be airborne during the event — quite literally.
“With Oz and his throne that just flies over the stadium or whatever, [where he] shoots out buckets of water and does everything like that,” Wylde said in a new interview with Riff X’s Metal XS. “So if Oz has a great time and it’s just, like, ‘I wanna go out on the road again,’ it’s just, like, ‘Good. Let’s do it again.’”
He added, “Ozzy was just sitting at the chair and he was singing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home,’ and it sounded great. So hopefully we’ll just do this, and then Oz will go, ‘Let’s just fire up the machine again and we’ll do another tour.’”
“Everybody’s gonna be playing Sabbath songs, it’s gonna be pretty mind-blowing,” he added.
Although Ozzy won’t be delivering a full set, the Back to the Beginning concert is shaping up to be a metal fan’s dream. The lineup features both Black Sabbath and Osbourne alongside other big names such as Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax. Other high-profile artists, such as Pantera, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Alice In Chains, Halestorm and recent Grammy Award-winners Gojira are also included.
“I’m not planning on doing a set with Black Sabbath but I am doing little bits and pieces with them,” Osbourne recently explained on his SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks.
“I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable. I am trying to get back on my feet… When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I’m not dead. I’m still actively doing things.”
Falling in Reverse frontman Ronnie Radke is facing scrutiny after a social media tirade directed at Australian councillors prompted an official report to Tasmania Police.
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The backlash stems from a photo shared by Launceston Mayor Matthew Garwood, who posed with Radke during the band’s current Australian tour. The image quickly drew criticism from councillors and members of the community, referencing Radke’s criminal past, including prior convictions for domestic violence and assault in 2012.
He also faced sexual assault allegations in 2015, though he was not convicted of that offence.
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“I stand in solidarity with all the women who have suffered at the hands of violence, whose voices are continually silenced while men like Ronnie Radke are given hero status,” Councillor Lindi McMahon said in a statement reported by ABC News.
In response, Radke lashed out on Instagram, calling the ABC “propaganda pieces of s–t” and directly targeting Councillors McMahon and Andrea Dawkins. He referred to Dawkins as a “disgusting f—ing human,” tagging her account and instructing his followers to “go give her the much needed bullying she deserves.”
City of Launceston CEO Sam Johnson issued a firm response condemning the artist’s comments, calling them “dangerous and irresponsible.”
“The City of Launceston condemns the dangerous and irresponsible actions of US singer Ronnie Radke, who has used his social media platform to incite harassment and abuse against elected councillors,” Johnson’s statement reads.
“His recent Instagram video – which calls on his followers to target and intimidate Councillors who expressed concerns over a photo with the Mayor – is not only reckless but entirely unacceptable.
“Councillors have a duty to represent the interests of the community without fear of intimidation or abuse. No individual – celebrity or otherwise – has the right to weaponise their platform against those who exercise their democratic right to voice concerns.
“Mr Radke’s actions place undue risk on the safety and wellbeing of Councillors and their families, creating a hostile environment that goes against the principles of free speech, accountability, and civil discourse.
He confirmed that Tasmania Police had been contacted regarding the posts, adding that the council had reported Radke’s video to Instagram and urged social media platforms to act on the misuse of their services.
“We call on Mr. Radke to immediately retract his inflammatory statements and take responsibility for the harm his words have caused,” Johnson added. “His actions place undue risk on the safety and wellbeing of Councillors and their families, creating a hostile environment that goes against the principles of free speech, accountability, and civil discourse.”
Radke has since doubled down with a second video on Sunday, again attacking the councillors and showing no indication of retraction.
Meanwhile, Garwood has spoken out after posting the now-deleted photograph of himself of Radke., describing the last few days as “absolute mayhem”.
“I am deeply alarmed to hear of serious threats towards my colleagues and am concerned for their welfare and around the manner in which these uploads were delivered,” he wrote on March 23.
“The recent social media posts made by Ronnie Radke regarding City of Launceston Councillors were entirely his own and do not reflect my views in any way and I condemn the call for bullying and the way in which they have been delivered. I do not condone violence or threats against anyone, and I believe in respectful discourse, even in disagreement; Which is something that I too need to be better at.”
“These posts are a personal response from Mr. Radke to individual’s comments made about him. They were not directly related to my attendance at his show. It is important to separate individual opinions from broader discussions, and I encourage respectful engagement on all matters.”
He continued, “As stated in my previous post, I saw this as simply an opportunity to meet a band I’ve listened to since high school. Never to endorse any specific actions or personal positions of the band. I appreciate that people have differing views on this, and I will continue to respect those perspectives”
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Dua Lipa has wrapped up the Melbourne leg of her Australian tour by bringing out a pair of acclaimed names for her ongoing cover portion.
Lipa launched her live appearances for 2025 earlier this month when she touched down in Australia as part of her ongoing Radical Optimism Tour. With five nights scheduled for Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and three at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, the excitement for the tour spilled over ahead of time when it was noted that all eight dates on her Australian trek had sold out – resulting in over 120,000 ticket sales.
So far, each of the Australian dates have seen Lipa dedicate the eighth song of her set to a special cover of an Australian artist. On March 17, AC/DC were given the honor when she performed “Highway to Hell,” with Natalie Imbruglia’s version of “Torn” making the cut, and Kylie Minogue’s ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head” appearing in the set on March 20.
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The final two Melbourne shows were taken up another notch, however, with Lipa welcoming the original artists for a special duet. On Saturday (March 22), Troye Sivan served as the guest of honor, joining Lipa to perform a version of his Grammy-nominated 2023 single “Rush.”
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“This next song in the set is different every night,” Lipa explained, noting she had allocated the slot to feature a song “by a local artist” each night. “So tonight, I thought it would be a big mistake if I didn’t play one of my favorite, favorite artists ever who’s also a friend of mine.”
“This is a song I’ve been listening to for a really long time — I mean, 2023 until now, and forever more I’ll be listening to this song,” she added. “But this is a Saturday night banger, so I think it’s going to be a fun one.” Sivan then joined in unannounced to the sound of rapturous applause from the crowd.
The following night (Sunday, March 23), Lipa wrapped up the Melbourne leg of her tour, with the eighth song again being allocated to a song by an Australian artist. This time, she was again joined by the artist in question, with Vance Joy appearing to share a rendition of his 2013 single “Riptide.”
Joy’s “Riptide” topped the Rock Airplay chart upon its release, and was also nominated for both song of the year and best video at the 2013 ARIA Awards. It hasn’t, however, ever topped the Australian charts, though ARIA’s 2024 end-of-year report included the song as one of only five local songs in the chart, with its No. 24 placing being the highest for an Australian song that year.
Notably, Lipa’s point of sharing a song by a “local artist” each night seems only to extend to the nationality of each artist. While both Joy and Minogue are from Melbourne, Sivan hails from Perth (by way of South Africa), and Imbruglia and AC/DC are noted Sydney names. It’s currently unclear which Australian acts Lipa will add to her set in Sydney, though she will launch those dates on Wednesday (March 26).
Just 15 months on from their final performance, veteran rockers KISS have announced their return to the live stage with a one-off ‘unmasked’ concert.
The show was announced via an email sent to fans, confirming that the group would be performing as part of the three-day KISS Army Storms Vegas event, which runs from Nov. 14 – 16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
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Though a full rundown of activities are said to arrive shortly, the headline of the message is KISS’ intention to perform a makeup-free show as part of the event. The performance will be the band’s first since December 2023, where they wrapped up their End of The Road Tour with a two-night stand at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
Despite their large-scale farewell tour (their second, after 2001’s fittingly-titled KISS Farewell Tour), fans had speculated that the band could indeed take to the stage again at some point. Bassist Gene Simmons was quick to nix that claim, clarifying the band’s plans in an interview with Rolling Stone in November 2023: “I’ll say right here, right now, my hand on the Bible, it will be the final KISS-in-makeup appearance.”
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KISS had previously appeared without their makeup in 1983, beginning their ‘unmasked’ era alongside the release of their Lick It Up album. This era would continue until 1996, when the group readopted their iconic look ahead of their highly-anticipated Alive/Worldwide Tour.
Since the band’s final 2023 performance, news had emerged the group were to bring their live set to the digital space, with these appearances set to kick off in Las Vegas in 2027. “It’s a must-see, go-to experience,” Stanley told Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast in 2024. “It’s beyond anything that anyone else has contemplated.”
“We’re creating something that’s not a concert,” he added. “The idea of a hologram — and it’s not a hologram, but that term seems to get thrown around a lot — but the idea [of] a simulated concert is not what we want to do. Frankly, I would find that boring.”
Notably, the email sent to fans announcing the forthcoming November show also noted that “fans can expect a special live performance from former KISS member Bruce Kulick.” While it’s unclear if Kulick plans to perform with the band or separately as part of the event, the guitarist had previously been an official member from 1984 until 1996. One of only two musicians to have not worn makeup while a member of the band (the other being Mark St. John), Kulick had performed with the band again at their KISS Kruise events in 2018 and 2021.
News of the forthcoming show also coincides with the fact that Simmons had postponed 17 dates on his forthcoming tour to 2026. An announcement confirmed that the dates were not related to Simmons’ health, but offered no further details. This same tour also generated notice after Simmons revealed he would be offering fans the chance to serve as his “personal assistant & band roadie for the day.”
Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead, a short film accompanying the upcoming deluxe edition of her Eternal Sunshine album, will be showing in four cities on Sunday, March 30.
The film is set for screenings in Boca Raton, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City.
Grande made the announcement via her Instagram Stories a week ahead of the scheduled film screenings, with a newspaper-themed “breaking news” alert published by a fictional paper called The Sunshine Spotlight.
The Sunshine Spotlight cover story linked to a sign-up page to request information about catching a Brighter Days Ahead screening. The sign-up form, hosted on Universal Music Group’s website, gives the direction to “sign up with your contact info below before 9:00 am et on March 26, 2025 to be the FIRST to hear all the details!” and clarifies that the “information request does not guarantee entry.”
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On the page is also a movie poster for Brighter Days Ahead, as seen below, crediting it as a film written and directed by Christian Breslauer and Ariana Grande, and as a London Alley and The Lucky Bastards Inc production in association with Grande and Republic Records. Music for the short is from Grande’s new Eternal Sunshine Deluxe. Additional film credits go to costume designer Mimi Cutrell, editor Luis Caraza, production designer Alex Delgado and director of photography Jeff Cronenweth, ASC.
Breslauer previously directed a trio of Grande’s music videos for tracks from the standard Eternal Sunshine album: “Yes, And?,” “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” and “The Boy Is Mine”; Caraza and Delgado also worked on the latter two videos. Cronenweth’s known for his work on films like Fight Club, One Hour Photo, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl and more.
The Eternal Sunshine deluxe album features six new songs: “Intro (End of the World) Extended,” “Twilight Zone,” “Warm,” “Dandelion,” “Past Life” and “Hampstead.” “Intro (End of the World)” (non-extended version) is the opening track of the original release, Grande’s 2024 album that spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Both the Eternal Sunshine deluxe album and the companion film Brighter Days Ahead are expected on March 28.
Two teaser clips for Brighter Days Ahead have been released so far.
Ariana Grande’s Brighter Days Ahead will be released on March 28 and have screenings in select cities on March 30.
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Playboi Carti captures his second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as his latest studio project, MUSIC, debuts atop the tally dated March 29. The set debuts with 298,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 20, according to Luminate. That marks the biggest week of 2025 for a rap album. It also arrives with the biggest streaming week for a rap set since 2023.
Playboi Carti previously topped the chart with his last release, Whole Lotta Red, which debuted atop the ranking dated Jan. 9, 2021. MUSIC is the artist’s third top 10-charting set, as he previously visited the region with 2018’s Die Lit, which reached No. 3.
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Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, LE SSERAFIM collects its fourth top 10-charting project, as 5th Mini Album HOT debuts at No. 9.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 29, 2025-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 25. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Of MUSIC’s 298,000 first-week equivalent album units, SEA units comprise 283,000 (equaling 284 million on-demand official streams of the 30 songs on the streaming edition of the album; it debuts at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 14,500 (it debuts at No. 3 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise 500.
With 298,000 units earned in its first week, MUSIC lands the biggest week in 2025 for a rap album, and the second largest overall among all albums — only the debut of The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow was bigger so far this year, when it launched with 490,000 units (Feb. 15 chart). Further, as MUSIC’s songs tallied 384 million on-demand official streams combined, that marks the biggest streaming week for any album in nearly a year, since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department collected 428.54 million clicks for its songs in its second week (May 11, 2024, chart). MUSIC nets the largest streaming week for any rap album since Drake’s For All the Dogs debuted with 514.01 million (Oct. 21, 2023, chart).
MUSIC was officially announced on Sept. 12, 2024, and went up for pre-order the same day. However, the set’s March 14 release date wasn’t announced until just two days before its arrival (March 12).
MUSIC debuts on the Billboard 200 largely from streaming activity, as it was available to purchase only as a digital download — as a widely available standard 30-song set, as well as three variants exclusive to the artist’s official webstore (the variants each have between one or two bonus tracks).
MUSIC will be issued on CD (across at least eight variants available to pre-order in his webstore) in the coming weeks. The album will also profit in the future from sales generated by an array of deluxe boxed sets (containing branded merch and a CD) that have been available to pre-order on his webstore since last September.
Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM falls to No. 2 in its second week on the Billboard 200, earning 74,000 equivalent album units (down 66%). The next six titles on the list are all former No. 1s. Kendrick Lamar’s GNX drops 2-3 (71,000; down 13%), PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s $ome $exy $ongs 4 U dips 3-4 (66,000; down 15%), SZA’s SOS slips 4-5 (62,000; down 9%), Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet is steady at No. 6 (57,000; down 7%), Tate McRae’s So Close To What falls 5-7 (52,000; down 18%) and Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos is a non-mover at No. 8 (50,000; down 4%).
LE SSERAFIM collects its fourth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as 5th Mini Album HOT starts at No. 9 with 45,500 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 38,500 (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 7,000 (equaling 9.42 million on-demand streams of the five songs on the streaming edition of the album) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. Sales of the set were bolstered by its availability across more than 20 CD variants (all containing collectible paper ephemera, some randomized).
Rounding out the top 10 of the latest Billboard 200 is Morgan Wallen’s former No. 1 One Thing at a Time, which falls 9-10 with 42,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3%).
Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.
