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Metallica continued its tribute to Mexican bands during their trek in Mexico on Friday (Sept. 28). On their third of four shows in the capital city, the metal legends honored legendary rock band El Tri by performing a unique cover of their famous song “A.D.O.,” once again with bassist Robert Trujillo doing the vocals.
Just as last week, Trujillo and guitarist Kirk Hammett surprised the 65,000 spectators gathered at the GNP Seguros Stadium, according to figures from promoter Ocesa, with their own version of a classic from the Mexican popular songbook. On the first night (Sept. 20), Metallica paid tribute to the norteño music group Los Tucanes de Tijuana by playing the song “La Chona.” Two days later (Sept. 22), they honored the rock band Caifanes with their cumbia hit “La Negra Tomasa.”
“A.D.O.,” by the band led by veteran rocker Alex Lora, refers to the Autobuses de Oriente (ADO) central bus station, one of the largest in the country.
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“Mom, turn on the recorder because #Metallica is singing A.D.O. Long live rock and roll!” tweeted user @Orlas33 on X, paraphrasing Lora, along with a video of the moment.
On Sept. 21, during a private talk by photographer Ross Halfin with a group of Metallica fans attended by Trujillo and Hammett, the bass player of Mexican descent hinted at the possibility of including a song from El Tri as part of the covers they would perform during their shows in Mexico City.
With 55 years of history, El Tri is one of the pioneering bands in the Mexican and Latin American rock scene. It has sold more than 30 million records over the years, and has received four Grammy nominations for best latin rock album. In 2022, Lora received a Latin Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Metallica’s history with Mexico began three decades ago with the tour of their 1991 self-titled album (often referred to as The Black Album), which included five dates at the Palacio de los Deportes in 1993. Since then, the band has maintained a very close relationship with the country, where they recorded their live DVD Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria (2009), which portrays three spectacular nights at the Foro Sol (today GNP Seguros Stadium) in June 2009.
Their fourth and final show in Mexico City as part of their M72 World Tour, which brought them back to the Latin American country after seven years of absence, is Sunday (Sept. 29).
From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
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Matisse Celebrate 10 Years
Matisse — composed of Melisa, Román, and Pablo — celebrated its 10th anniversary this week at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, where they performed their hits such as “Todo Nada,” “Fuerte No Soy,” “Eres Tú,” “Luis Miguel” and “No Disponible,” to name a few. Pedro Capó and Isabel Lascuraín from Pandora were the night’s special guests. With the latter, the Mexican pop group performed the iconic 1985 hit “Como Te Va Mi Amor.” “It’s a dream we always had from the beginning,” Román said in a press statement. “When I passed in front of the National Auditorium, I thought: ‘someday, someday I’m going to be there, someday we’re going to fill it.’ Today we are here and we have achieved it.” The anniversary concert occurred just days after Matisse wrapped their 14-date debut U.S. Bella Nostalgia tour.
La Musa Awards 2024
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The Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame (LSHOF) announced its 2024 inductees and honorees to be recognized at the 2024 La Musa Awards on Nov. 12 in Miami. Hosted by Erika Ender, this year’s inductees are: Puerto Rican hitmaker Luny (real name: Francisco Saldana); Colombian producer & songwriter Julio Reyes Copello; and Mexican artist Saul Hernández of famed rock band Jaguares and Caifanes. The following artists will be honored with special awards: Draco Rosa (Living Legend Award); Ella Bric (La Musa Elena Casals Award); Kathy Spanberger (Ralph S. Peer Publisher Award); Luis Figueroa (Premio Triunfador); Luis Fonsi (Icon Award); Olga Guillot (La Musa Medal of Freedom, posthumous); and Gloria Estefan & the Miami Sound Machine’s “Conga” will be honored as The Song of All Time.
“Our mission is to elevate the voices of Latin music creators whose stories and songs have touched the hearts of millions around the world,” LSHOF chairman/CEO Rudy Perez said in a press statement. “This year’s inductees and honorees have not only defined Latin music but have also paved the way for future generations of songwriters. And we are proud that what was once an ambitious dream to establish this Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and an annual awards ceremony….has not only become a reality but also a prestigious home for the best in our business.” For more information, click here.
Tainy’s Baby News
Earlier this week, Tainy (real name: Marcos Efraín Masís Fernández) revealed that he’s going to be a dad. The Latin hitmaker — known for creating some of Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee’s biggest hits, among other reggaetón bangers — shared the news on his Instagram account in a joint post with his girlfriend, Yasi Ayala. A simple caption that reads, “3” shows two black-and-white photos of the couple. The first one is a close-up of both of their hands gracing Ayala’s baby bump. The second one a photo of the soon-to-be parents smiling. See the sweet baby announcement below.
Belinda & Anitta at Paris Fashion Week
Belinda and Anitta demonstrated a beautiful act of sisterhood during Paris Fashion Week. During the L’Oreal Paris Fashion Week show, where both artists strutted the catwalk, Belinda suffered a fall. She was able to gracefully recover thanks to the Brazilian artist, who helped her get up from the floor and even helped Belinda fix her outfit. “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what matters is how many times you get up. Thank you, Anitta,” the Mexican pop star immediately shared on her social media account following the incident.
Belinda is set speak at the 35th anniversary Billboard Latin Music Week, which will feature exclusive panels, conversations and performances by Latin music’s biggest stars. Tickets are available now here.
‘Tis the season for the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tour!
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Lineup Announcement Party took place on Friday (Sept. 27) with The Kid LAROI and Dasha helping announce the official lineup for iHeartRadio 102.7 KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball in Los Angeles presented by Capital One. The duo performed at the celebration, as radio personality JoJo Wright listed off this year’s Jingle Ball LA stars.
The Los Angeles event, which will take place on Dec. 6 at the Intuit Dome, will include performances by SZA, Tate McRae, Meghan Trainor, Kane Brown, Benson Boone, Madison Beer, Shaboozey, T-Pain, Paris Hilton and NCT Dream.
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The Kid LAROI, of course, is excited to see his girlfriend McRae take the stage at the big event. “Maybe I’m biased,” he admits. “It feels wrong to say I’m most excited for anyone else!”
LAROI himself is also returning to the Jingle Ball tour for the third time, taking the stage in New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Miami. “Good music always wins,” he says of this year’s variety of genres. “I’m a huge fan of everyone on the lineup.”
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Dasha agrees, and is personally very excited for country’s representation on this year’s lineup. “Finally!” jokes the rising country star, who will be taking the stage at the shows in Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington, D.C. “I feel like for a while people have viewed country music in a box, that it’s for bros in the South and that’s kind of it. There are a lot of up-and-coming artists have changed that narrative with songs that have traveled across the world and new perspectives and new stories. It’s relatable to different types of people now. With the power of social media and new artists, people are finally like, ‘Oh, s—, I’ve been missing out on this.”
She also really wants to get up close and personal with the fans during her performance. “I usually hop into the crowd during ‘Austin,’ so hopefully they let me,” she says. “A girl like me likes to get in the crowd.”
In addition to LA, the Jingle Ball tour will hit Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Miami. See the full lineup list here. For those who can’t see the fun in person, the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour stops will be part of an exclusive network special on ABC, airing December 18, and available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
“The annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour has become the biggest holiday music event of the year featuring the hottest artists of the year playing their songs that went No. 1,” said John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartMedia and Tom Poleman, chief programming officer for iHeartMedia, said in a press statement. “We are thrilled to be back again with ABC to bring this year’s lineup to millions more fans across the country.”
The iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Capital One Cardholder Pre-Sale begins Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. local time and runs through Thursday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. local time, or while pre-sale supplies last. Pre-sale information and tickets will be available at iHeartRadio.com/CapitalOne. All other tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, Oct. 4, at noon local time and will be available at iHeartRadio.com/JingleBall.
Cam’ron made a big revelation on his and Mase‘s show It Is What It Is earlier Friday (Sept. 27). While greeting each other to start their latest episode, Cam asked Mase if he heard about the indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams before casually dropping some interesting news. “You know what’s crazy? This […]
Otis Redding is about to get a little “Respect” – to borrow the title of one of his most famous compositions – from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The late soul music legend will be honored posthumously with a star on Friday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6150 Hollywood Blvd. Redding’s star is in the category of live theatre/live performance.
Five-time Grammy-winning producer (and previous Walk of Fame honoree) Jimmy Jam will emcee the star ceremony. Killer Mike, who won three Grammys in the rap field in February, will speak. Accepting the award will be the singer’s daughter, Karla Redding-Andrews.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is honored to dedicate a star to the legendary Otis Redding, whose music continues to inspire generations,” Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame ceremonies, said in a statement.
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Redding has long been regarded as one of the greatest soul singers in popular music history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 1999. Three of his recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame – his 1965 hit “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (to Stop Now),” his 1967 reinvention of the 1933 pop standard “Try a Little Tenderness” and his deeply moving 1968 classic “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay.” Aretha Franklin’s classic 1967 version of “Respect,” which Redding wrote and had the initial hit with in 1965, is also in the Grammy Hall.
Redding had a volley of hits between 1964 and 1967. He even played at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967. But less than six months later, on Dec. 10, 1967, he died in a plane crash in Madison, Wisc. en route to a concert. He was just 26.
The first sign that his music would live on came when “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay” shot to No. 1 in early 1968 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Top Selling R&B Singles (as the chart was then called). Redding also had a pair of top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 in the spring of 1968 – History of Otis Redding and The Dock of the Bay. In early 1969, “Dock of the Bay” won two Grammys – best rhythm & blues song and best rhythm & blues vocal performance, male.
Redding’s influence continues through the work of the Otis Redding Foundation, ran by his widow Zelma and daughter Karla Redding-Andrews, which seeks to preserve his legacy through empowering music education for all youth.
The star ceremony will be streamed live at WalkOfFame.com.
Travis Scott is giving fans across the globe the chance to get their hands on exclusive Circus Maximus Tour merchandise. Fútbol fans are in luck, as La Flame released the UTOPIA collection of soccer jerseys from his travels during recent European and South American tour stops on Friday (Sept. 27). The capsule is currently available […]
Countless celebrity faces have been spotted around Paris Fashion Week this fall, and even though Camila Cabello was in attendance, her face went unseen. At the Vetements runway show in the French capital on Friday (Sept. 27), the pop star sported a black balaclava that covered her entire head, minus cutouts for her eyes, mouth […]
50 Cent has been one of the only rappers to be vocal about the alleged sexual misconduct of Diddy. He’s trolled the fallen mogul with baby oil memes and has been talking about making a documentary about his alleged accusations since earlier this year, when he posted a mock poster for a docuseries entitled “Diddy […]
The second installment of “NOW PLAYING JAPAN,” a conference and networking event held by Billboard Japan and Luminate on domestic and international music consumption trends and marketing, was held at Billboard Live Tokyo on Sept. 18.
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At this event, representatives from Billboard JAPAN and Luminate gave presentations on the latest music consumption trends in Japan and abroad. In addition, Tatsuya Hori of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry appeared as a guest speaker. Using the recently released “Report on the Music Industry’s Business Model for a New Era” as a basis, Hori explained the current status and challenges for Japanese artists to expand overseas. The following is a report on the event.
Presentation 1: Scott Ryan (Luminate)
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Scott Ryan, Executive Vice President of Luminate, took the stage first to introduce the latest trends in music streaming: In the first half of 2024, global on-demand audio streaming increased 15.1% compared to the previous year, which is equivalent to approximately 300 billion new streams. Among countries in the APAC + ANZ, Japan has displayed a steady increase of more than 10% in streaming, while several countries in Southeast Asia have shown growth of 20-30%. He also touched on listening trends that vary by country, including preferred genres (in Japan, “jazz,” “rock,” and “soundtrack” are over indexing compared to other Asian countries), the #1 source of music discovery (streaming in Indonesia, SNS in the Philippines, and TV in Japan), and differences in engagement with “foreign content” (95% in the Philippines, 74% in Singapore, and 57% in Japan). He also explained a snapshot of Japanese Gen Z music listeners: 44% of Gen Z listeners encounter music via streaming, are 1.4 times more likely to listen to music shared by friends on SNS than Japanese music listeners as a whole, and 27% less likely to listen to music from overseas.
Ryan concluded his presentation by giving three key points: “Streaming numbers are increasing globally, but the way people enjoy new content differs from country to country, so it is necessary to devise marketing plans and approaches accordingly”; “The way people encounter new music differs by region and generation, so for effective targeting, it is important to have smart information”; and “Streaming is still on the rise, and there are opportunities for growth on a global scale across regions.”
Presentation 2: Helena Kosinski (Luminate)
Helena Kosinski, Luminate’s Global Vice President, presented the challenges and new solutions for the industry in assigning key music data identifiers and metadata, including ISNI, ISRC and ISWC, with examples from Japan. While the assignment of music data identifiers is becoming more widespread in the industry, the importance of ISNI is not yet fully understood. In addition, there are cases where incorrect information is linked due to duplication of artist names and song titles, and where multiple identifiers are registered for the same song. Furthermore, songs having identifiers that are unknown to the rights holders is also an issue. As a result, there are many recordings that are not linked to the correct rights holders (lyricists, composers, etc.), and royalties are not being accurately distributed. In fact, it appears that 16.25% (approximately $120 million) of the royalties that were due to be paid by the MLC in 2022 have still not been distributed as of 2024.
As a solution to these issues, Luminate acquired Quansic, a service that collects multiple identifiers and consolidates them in one place, in February 2024 to improve the quality of metadata. Kosinski spoke about the importance and benefits of having correct metadata, with an explanation of this service. For labels, the benefits of having ISNI are “increased visibility and clarity of content on DSPs,” “increased promotional opportunities such as additions to official playlists (as songs with more complete metadata are preferred),” and “getting paid quickly and correctly”. In a test case conducted by Luminate, the number of streams also increased by 6-18%.
Benefits for DSPs through Quansic included improved search accuracy on the platform, support for artist names in other languages, and the ability to distinguish duplicate artists by adding more than twice as many new identifiers. For music publishers, the benefits include securing royalties from all the songs and recordings they manage, automatic recognition of new releases in their catalogs, and better predictability of future revenues. A test case for a publisher showed a 3-18% increase in streaming numbers. Kosinski concluded by giving “metadata is hard” and “fix the problem before you lose royalties” as key points, and urged a free evaluation with Luminate.
Presentation 3: Tatsuya Hori (METI)
Tatsuya Hori, Consulting Fellow at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), gave a presentation on “The Potential of the Japanese Music Market” based on the “Report on the Music Industry’s Business Model for a New Era”, which was released in July 2024 and attracted wide attention both within and outside the industry. The “content industry,” which includes music, is growing remarkably on a global scale. In Japan, overseas sales are comparable in scale to exports from the steel and semiconductor industries, and the high economic ripple effect has led to the recognition that this industry could become a key industry in Japan and drive economic growth. Based on this premise and the data used in the report, he indicated that the characteristics of the Japanese music industry are the “diversity and accumulation of music”.
He also noted that, since streaming has become the center of the global music industry, overseas expansion and digitalization are two sides of the same coin, and that it is essential for the music business to respond quickly to the digitalization of the industry. He also stressed the importance of creating an environment that facilitates the activities of creators who are engaged in production and distribution on their own.
Presentation 4: Seiji Isozaki (Billboard Japan)
Seiji Isozaki of Billboard Japan, gave a presentation on current trends in the world of Japanese music based on the Global chart data for the first half of 2024. In particular, he pointed out that compared to the first half of 2023, the share of Japanese music is increasing in the U.S. and South Korea, and that the share of new releases at the top of the charts is rising in line with the attention paid to anime and game releases. He explained the importance of understanding the market structure of each country and the importance of “increasing resolution” in order to create hits in Asia & globally.
In the U.S. and South Korea, “Artists who increased the number of streams per day and increased their market share” and “Artists who increased the number of streams per day and increased their market share in the corresponding countries” were respectively presented in comparison to the previous year. Names such as Azumi Takahashi, known for her singing in the “Persona” game series, PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE, and eill were mentioned.
Text: Haruki Saito, Maiko Murata
Tate McRae is proof that some pop stars are born this way. The Calgary, Alberta, native appears to have just exploded into our consciousness over the past year or so, but take a dive into the 21-year-old singer’s backstory, and you can see that she’s been laying the groundwork for her chart domination for more than half her life.
After starting dance lessons at 6 years old and focusing on her moves over vocals, McRae began entering a series of dance competitions in the U.S. At 13, she joined the cast of the 13th season of So You Think You Can Dance, coming in third place, making her the highest placing Canadian in the reality show’s history.
That led to some sweet follow-up gigs thanks to the dance-centric YouTube channel she launched in 2011, including dancing at a Calgary stop on fellow Canadian Justin Bieber’s 2016 Purpose world tour. Before pivoting to music, McCrea launched her “Create With Tate” video series in 2017, which morphed into focusing on original songs she’d written, including the sticky ballad “One Day,” which to date has racked up more than 40 million views.
Those videos helped McRae land a recording contract with RCA Records in 2019, which released her debut EP, All the Things I Never Said, in January 2020; the collection hit No. 16 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers albums chart and featured the lead single “Tear Myself Apart,” co-written by Billie Eilish and brother/producer Finneas.
Wasting no time, McRae was back in March 2021 with a second EP, Too Young to Be Sad, which included her breakthrough single, the brooding “You Broke Me First.” The song spent 38 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 17, marking McRae’s highest chart success to that point. In addition, Too Young to Be Sad was crowned the most streamed EP by a female artist on Spotify in 2021 and “You Broke Me First” was featured in more than one million TikTok videos. McRae was the youngest person included on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2021, where the then-17-year-old took her place among such 20something stars as Lil Baby, Melanie Martinez, Roddy Richh, Gabby Barrett and Doja Cat.
Though her star really began rising in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic when everyone was trapped at home, McRae kept the creative fires burning, releasing her debut full-length studio album, I Used to Think I Could Fly, in May 2022. The album peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart, with bubbly, jealousy-tinged single “She’s All I Wanna Be” spending 20 weeks on the Hot 100, where it ran up to No. 44.
Then things rocketed to a whole new level with the release of the lead single from McRae’s No. 4-charting sophomore album 2023’s Think Later, the angsty dance pop burner “Greedy.” The song was accompanied by a Great North-appropriate video featuring sexy ice rink dance routines and McRae cruising on the ice atop a Zamboni, which may have helped it race up to No. 3 on the Hot 100 tally.
Things kept humming along with the next single, the Bieber-esque pop kiss-off “Exes,” whose sultry, dance-heavy video paid homage to some of McRae’s inspirations, including Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera; the song topped out at No. 34 on the Hot 100. The beat went on with the third electro-pop single from the collection, “It’s OK I’m OK,” which grabbed attention for its skin-baring, street dancing music video.
Watch Billboard Explains: Tate McRae Rise to Pop Superstardom in the video above.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about Peso Pluma and the Mexican music boom, the role record labels play, origins of hip-hop, how Beyoncé arrived at Renaissance, the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and more.