State Champ Radio Music
Page: 494
Tito Fuentes, vocalist and guitarist of the Mexican rock band Molotov, is taking some time off to deal with health issues. The musician announced that he is undergoing physical and mental rehabilitation, without going into details.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“I am in a process of both physical and mental rehabilitation that has led me to be absent from the stage during the last Molotov concerts,” he said in a statement on social media Monday (March 10). “Putting my health as a priority, I have decided not to return to play until I am 100%.”
Fuentes will be replaced by Jay de la Cueva, leader of the defunct band Moderatto and former member of Molotov, for the group’s upcoming scheduled performances.
Trending on Billboard
De la Cueva “is not only a great musician and dear friend, but Jay is also one of the founding members of the band, and I am sure it will be a great show to see him with them at Vive Latino,” said Fuentes, adding, “I hope to return soon.”
The announcement comes just days after the iconic Mexican band began an extensive tour with dates in Latin America and Europe to celebrate its 30th anniversary, a series of shows that includes the group’s participation in the 25th edition of the Vive Latino festival Saturday (March 15) at the GNP Seguros Stadium in Mexico City.
Billboard Español reached out to Molotov’s team for additional comment.
Jay de la Cueva, considered one of the most versatile musicians in the Mexican rock scene for his participation with various groups and projects, was a founding member of Molotov in 1995, along with Fuentes and Micky Huidobro (bass).
For three decades, Molotov — which also includes Paco Ayala (guitar) and Randy Ebright (drums) — has been a reference in Latin rock music. Songs such as “Gimme the Power,” “Frijolero” and “Voto Latino” have become the soundtrack for their followers through political and social changes, while denouncing issues such as racism, corruption, bureaucracy and abuse of power.
On the Billboard charts, the band has placed four titles both in Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums, including two top 10s of the latter: Dance and Dense Denso in 2003, and Agua Maldita in 2014.
A seven time Latin Grammy-winner, Molotov has also sparked controversy on several occasions. One of the most memorable occurred in 1997, when the band released the Gustavo Santaolalla-produced album ¿Dónde Jugarán Las Niñas?, whose cover caused it to be removed from record stores for being considered offensive to morals in Mexico. The cover featured a photograph of a girl in a high-school uniform with her panty at mid-thigh.
The band’s song “Puto” has been labeled as homophobic by LGBTQ advocacy groups, something the band has denied on several occasions, arguing that the title is just a popular Mexican expression.
Ask any parent and they will tell you that their kid is absolutely the best, the tops, no matter what anyone else thinks. Britney Spears is exactly one of those proud mamas, as evidenced by a pair of Instagram clips she posted on Tuesday (March 11) of her youngest, 18-year-old son Jayden James, showing off his piano-playing and mumble rapping skills.
In the first video, Jayden can be heard playing an unidentified song on the piano as Britney, 43, walks through her living room and zooms in on a picture of her with her second born before walking over to watch him tickle the ivories. Wearing baggy black jeans, a Muhammad Ali t-shirt and a black wool hat, Jayden fools around on the baby grand as his mom exclaims, “that’s sick!”
As he continues to play, Britney can be heard saying, “Jesus! That’s sick!” She captioned the clip “WOW WOW WOW !!!”
Trending on Billboard
In the second video, Jayden, now wearing dark shades indoors, walks around mumbling as Britney screams, “Well that was really good! My son just played! Oh my God! I felt it in my bones, and my heart, and my lungs, and my a–, and my throat and my…,” as Jayden appears to complete the thought with “my d–k.”
“Yes sir, yes sir,” Jayden says nonchalantly while Britney enthuses, “Hello, hello, hello, whoa!,” swinging her phone camera back to the piano. Her excitement at their get-back was clear from the caption of the second video: “He’s a genius and I’m in awe of him !!! I can’t believe he’s mine !!! I was honestly scared that’s not normal !!!”
The singer who also shares older son Sean Preston, 19, with her ex Kevin Federline, posted pics in December of what she called a reunion with Jayden after what she said was a two-year period in which she didn’t see her sons. “Best Christmas of my life !!! I haven’t seen my boys in 2 years !!!” she wrote on Christmas Day. “Tears of joy and literally in shock everyday koo koo crazy so in love and blessed !!! I’m speechless thank you Jesus !!!”
Check out the musical mother and child reunion below.
A few weeks after revealing his plans to sell a custom 2022 Lamborghini Urus won from its previous owner, superstar Shakira, in a giveaway, Colombian-American artist Michael Mejía was involved in a car accident while driving the luxury vehicle on Thursday (March 6).
“I was simply hit. It wasn’t me who crashed,” Mejía told Billboard on Tuesday (March 11). “I was about to cross a street when a car came speeding, and the driver was probably distracted. It was quite a scary moment. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured, but it was a very [tough] moment. The car is being restored. Thankfully, I had good insurance, so the car will be as good as new.”
An Instagram video posted on Sunday (March 9) by Spanish-language reality series ¡Siéntese Quien Pueda! showed the purple Lamborghini damaged in Miami.
Trending on Billboard
In February, during an interview with El Gordo y la Flaca, the contest winner talked about receiving the car from Shakira and his intention to sell the car — worth $280,000 — for potentially $1 million because of the steep maintenance costs. Shakira had provided him with an extra $90,000 to cover various expenses such as taxes, the car’s title transfer, legal fees and six months of insurance payments.
He previously explained the financial challenges involved, facing about $95,000 in federal taxes at the end of the year, monthly insurance costs exceeding $2,000 and more expenses related to the luxury vehicle. And now, he tells Billboard, he’s also facing backlash from the pop superstar’s fans for needing to sell the Lamborghini.
“The reality of all this is that I am an artist — I earned this car with my art,” he tells Billboard. “I’ve had a super lovely experience receiving that recognition from Shakira. What’s happening now is that all of Shakira’s fans — who initially supported me — are hating me because I decided to sell the car, since it is very costly. So, to them, it’s like, ‘This man is an opportunist. How can he take advantage and sell the prize?’ They see it as potentially disrespectful towards Shakira. I mean, the reality is that the car is very expensive. All the monthly costs are too much, and I just can’t keep up with them.”
The artist — known for his work in fine art, murals and body painting — won the prize based on the merit of his artistic contributions. He adds to Billboard: “A car doesn’t define an artist; let [fans] not forget why I won that car.”
Billy Joel has postponed his current tour for four months due to an undisclosed medical condition, it was announced on Tuesday (March 11). The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee underwent surgery recently, and will use the time to recover and undergo physical therapy.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Joel, 75, is expected to make a full recovery, with the tour resuming at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 5. “While I regret postponing any shows, my health must come first,” Joel said in a statement posted to Instagram. “I look forward to getting back on stage and sharing the joy of live music with our amazing fans. Thank you for your understanding.”
The stadium tour, which includes Joel often pairing with fellow legends Stevie Nicks, Sting or Rod Stewart, was slated to start March 15 in Toronto.
Trending on Billboard
It is unknown if the surgery was related to the spill Joel took on stage Feb. 22 during a show at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., while tossing his microphone during “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.” Joel quickly recovered from the fall, seemingly uninjured, and finished the show.
The delay will not affect Joel’s three New York City-area summer shows, which will lead the Piano Man to setting a record. Joel will play Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on July 18; Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, on Aug. 8; and Citi Field, home to the New York Mets, in Queens, N.Y., on Aug. 21, making him the first artist to play all three NYC-area stadiums in one summer. Stewart will join him July 18, Nicks on Aug. 8 and Sting on Aug. 21.
“I’m looking forward to playing these iconic stadiums this summer – each holds personal significance to me,” Joel told Billboard in early February. “There’s nothing like the energy of the crowds in New York, and sharing a stage with my friends Rod Stewart, Sting and Stevie Nicks, whose music always inspires me, is extremely rewarding.”
See below for the rescheduled dates:
Beyoncé has starred in a number of films, but according to Tina Knowles, the 35-time Grammy winner’s big screen days are behind her.
The businesswoman revealed on Instagram March 7 that her superstar daughter has no plans to return to the big screen. Sharing a clip of Bey singing “I’d Rather Go Blind” while portraying Etta James in 2008’s Cadillac Records, Ms. Knowles wrote, “This is still one of my favorite movies, and it makes me miss the fact that my child decided not to continue with movies.”
“She killed it in this movie,” the designer added. “And she so unselfishly donated her salary to the Phoenix house.”
Phoenix House is a nonprofit that offers recovery treatment for individuals struggling with substance abuse. Bey reportedly gave $4 million in earnings from Cadillac Records to the foundation.
Trending on Billboard
The Darnell Martin-directed musical biography is just one of several films the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer has starred in, though it’s been many years since she last appeared on screen. She made her acting debut in the 2001 TV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, after which she had roles in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, 2003’s The Fighting Temptations, 2006’s The Pink Panther and Dreamgirls, and 2009’s Obsessed.
Since then, Bey has stuck to voice roles in animated projects. In 2013, she voiced Queen Tara in Epic, and she also played Nala in 2019’s The Lion King remake and 2024’s Mufasa: The Lion King.
But while fans may miss seeing her on the big screen, the Ivy Park founder definitely has a lot of other projects on her plate. She’s currently gearing up to embark on her Cowboy Carter Tour supporting her Billboard 200-topping LP of the same name, which won best country album and album of the year at the 2025 Grammys. Last year, she also launched a new haircare brand called Cécred.
The musician still took time to honor one of her former costars, though, after Angie Stone — whom she appeared alongside in The Fighting Temptations — died in a car crash earlier this month. “Thank you for your voice, your strength and your artistry,” read a message dedicated to the R&B icon on Bey’s website. “Your incredible legacy will live on forever.”
When Koe Wetzel plays Billboard’s The Stage at SXSW Thursday night (March 13) at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park in Austin, fans can expect a typically high-octane, guitar-driven show full of songs about road life and troubled relationships, both often fueled by substances. For the past 10 years, Wetzel has been entertaining Texans — and […]
Whatta man Jelly Roll is! The country superstar appears in a hilarious new commercial for Zevia, a zero-sugar, zero-calorie natural alternative to soda.
In the clip, shared on Monday (March 10), the “Need a Favor” singer pulls up to an 1950s-looking gas station in his red pick-up truck. Two young boys in the field nearby watch in awe as Jelly Roll emerges from the car in slow motion, running his hands through his mullet as he portrays a classic country man in a cut-off flannel, jean shorts, cowboy boots and black sunglasses. Salt-N-Pepa’s 1993 hit, “Whatta Man,” plays in the background, adding to the drama of the moment.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Jelly Roll? In a Zevia commercial? This is huge,” one of the boys says as the star opens a nearby refrigerator and pulls out a Creamy Root Beer flavored beverage. “By choosing him as the spokesperson for their zero-sugar soda with zero artificial ingredients, Zevia is dismantling the notion that quote-on-quote ‘real men’ can’t be conscious of what goes into their body.”
Trending on Billboard
“Mr. Roll is now, quite literally, the poster child for sweet authenticity,” the boy gushes — much to the confusion of his friend — as Jelly Roll takes a sip of his drink, burps and smiles into the camera.
For Jelly Roll, the partnership was a no-brainer, as he’s been focusing on his health in recent months, revealing at the end of 2024 that he lost more than 100 pounds over the course of the year. “Making small, intentional choices daily is a real thing that I have honed in on and that has been so impactful during this process,” he tells Billboard of his health and wellness journey. “I think it’s changed my ability to keep up with my progress, since it has been an honest conversation of ‘in that moment’ which one is the better option to stay on track?”
He also just loved filming the advertisement. “What I loved about this is it felt like we got to really play into the skit and have some fun with it,” he recalls. “When I got to do the season premiere of SNL this year, I got to also be a part of a skit, and this was another version of being able to really lean into having fun with a character. And everyone else on set was so game too which made it such a great experience.”
As for that “sweet poster child of authenticity” comment, he agrees. “One thing you can say about me is that I am me — even when I get chances to play up a character — and I hope that comes through in this spot. What you see is what you get,” he says.
Watch Jelly Roll keep it real in the new Zevia commercial below.
K-pop singer and songwriter Wheesung (born Choi Whee-sung), was found dead in his home in Seoul, South Korea on Monday night (March 10). According to The Hollywood Reporter, no cause of death has been determined yet and foul play is not suspected, with Seoul police saying a “substantial” amount of time appeared to have passed before the singer’s body was discovered.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“The artist Wheesung has left us. He was found in cardiac arrest at his residence and was later pronounced dead,” his agency, Tajoy Entertainment, said in a statement. The singer’s mother reportedly discovered his body and called emergency services.
Wheesung rose to prominence in the early 2000s with his soulful vocals and smooth R&B style in a career cut short by a drug-use scandal.
Trending on Billboard
Born on Feb. 5, 1982, Wheesung made his performance debut in 1999 with the K-pop boy band A4. After a short stint in the group, Wheesung broke solo in 2000 and released his debut single, the emotional R&B ballad “Can’t We?” in 2002, followed by his R&B/soul-inspired debut solo album, Like a Movie.
After winning best new artist at the 2002 Golden Disc Awards, he dropped his sophomore effort, It’s Real, in 2003, expanding his sound to include hip-hop and pop vibes. Several more albums followed in 2004 (For the Moment), 2005 (Love… Love… ? Love… !) and 2007 (Eternal Essence of Music); his most recent release was the 2018 EP In Space.
Wheesung bounced between a number of different management companies in the ensuing years and a decade into his solo run reverted to his early career stage name, Realslow. His career went into a downswing in 2013 when he was accused of using the surgical anesthetic propofol — the drug that contributed to Michael Jackson’s death — for several years for what he said was treatment for a herniated disk and hair loss.
Within days in March and April in 2020, Wheesung was found passed out in public bathrooms near syringes and vials containing etomidate, another sleep-inducing drug similar to propofol, according to BBC News. Following those incidents, his agency at the time, Real Slow Company, issued a statement in which it said, “He has been going through an incredibly difficult period due to the sudden passing of his father and close friends. He has been suffering from depression and panic disorder and has been receiving psychiatric treatment,” according to the Korea Herald.
In 2021, Wheesung got a two-year suspended sentence for abusing propofol.
The singer, who was also a well-respected producer and songwriter, also worked with a number of other K-pop artists, including the girl groups Twice, T-ara and Orange Caramel, as well as Younha, G. NA and Ailee. He was scheduled to co-headline a show with singer KCM dubbed “The Story,” in Daegu, South Korea at EXCO Auditorium on Saturday (March 15); that show has been cancelled.
Corridos bélicos pioneer Luis R Conriquez is set to hit the road with his Trakas HDSPM U.S. Tour, Billboard can announce. The Live Nation-produced stint will kick off April 25 in New York at the UBS Arena and will visit major cities across the country, including San Antonio and Las Vegas before wrapping up Oct. […]
Stephen Schwartz, who wrote both music and lyrics to all the songs in Wicked, is about to become even more “Popular.” The veteran songwriter is set to receive the 2025 Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala on Thursday, June 12, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
The award presentation will come near the midpoint between the November 2024 release of Wicked, which quickly became the highest-grossing film ever based on a Broadway musical, and the November 2025 release of a sequel, Wicked: For Good. Both films are based on the 2003 stage musical Wicked.
Schwartz, 76, has won three Oscars, four Grammys, four Drama Desk Awards and a Golden Globe. He has received six Tony nominations, in addition to receiving their Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2015 for his support of young artists.
Trending on Billboard
The Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the SHOF, is reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted into the SHOF and whose body of work upholds the high standards set by Mercer, wrote dozens of hits from the 1930s through the 1960s. (Learn more about Mercer here.) Schwartz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.
“With every lyric and melody, Stephen invites us on an unforgettable journey,” SHOF chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “From his iconic list of award-winning musicals, including Godspell, Wicked and Pippin, Stephen continually proves that he is the only person who can turn a simple story into a Broadway musical masterpiece, one catchy chorus at a time!”
Schwartz won his first two Oscars – best original song for “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas and best original musical or comedy score for that same film, in tandem with Alan Menken, who received the Johnny Mercer Award in 2017. Schwartz won his third Oscar – best original song for “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt – by himself.
Schwartz is the second Mercer recipient in the past three years who is largely known for his work in theater. Tim Rice, who teamed with Andrew Lloyd Webber to write such classics as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, won the award in 2023.
Schwartz has been a major force in the American musical theater since the early 1970’s, when he had three hit shows running on Broadway – Godspell, Pippin, and The Magic Show.
Four of Schwartz’s songs – two from stage musicals and two from films – have become top 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. “Day by Day” from Godspell (credited to Godspell) reached No. 13 in 1972. The Jackson 5’s cover version of “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin reached No. 18 in 1972, Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas hit No. 4 in 1995, and Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey’s “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt reached No. 15 in 1999. The latter film was DreamWorks’ first animated feature.
Schwartz’s other musicals, in addition to those already named, include The Magic Show, The Baker’s Wife, Working, Rags, Children of Eden, and the upcoming The Queen of Versailles, which is slated to open on Broadway this fall. His other films, in addition to those already named, include The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Enchanted.
In the classical field, Schwartz collaborated with Leonard Bernstein on Mass and composed the opera, Seance on a Wet Afternoon. He has also released two singer/songwriter albums, Reluctant Pilgrim and Uncharted Territory.
Under the auspices of The ASCAP Foundation, Schwartz runs musical theater workshops in New York and Los Angeles, and serves on the ASCAP Foundation board. He is also a member of the Council of the Dramatists’ Guild.
Gracie Abrams, 25, was announced two weeks ago as the recipient of the SHOF’s other major honorary award, the Hal David Starlight Award. That award, named after the Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist, is presented to young songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry with their original songs.
Previously announced 2025 SHOF inductees are George Clinton, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Mike Love, Tony Macaulay and three members of The Doobie Brothers (Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons).
A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction into the SHOF 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.
