Music
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Maren Morris went through a scary time period after she called out Morgan Wallen three years ago, especially where her young son was concerned. In a new interview on the Work in Progress podcast posted Thursday (Aug. 29), the 34-year-old musician opened up about the backlash she received immediately after slamming the “Last Night” singer […]
Stevie Wonder wants us to come together. The legendary artist dropped a new track on Friday (Aug. 30), fittingly titled, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” The track features a strong call for unity over an acoustic guitar as he demands in the hook: “Can we fix our nation’s broken heart?/ Are we brave […]
The former USSR might not be considered a musical hotbed, but a new compilation of rare music from the Soviet Union lifts the veil on the vibrant, dance-focused scene that existed there in the 1980s.
Synthesizing the Silk Roads: Uzbek Disco, Tajik Folktronica, Uyghur Rock & Crimean Tatar Jazz from 1980s Soviet Central Asia, offers 15 ’80s-era songs from the region, with the project made after deadstock vinyl was discovered at a Soviet-era vinyl plant in Uzbekistan capital of Tashkent.
This rarely heard music — including loads of funk and Moroder-adjacent disco — is out digitally this week and will be available in physical formats on Sept. 24, via Ostinato Records.
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The music contained on the compilation came to life as a function of world events. In 1941, Stalin ordered a mass evacuation as the Nazis invaded the USSR, with 16 million people boarding trains to Central Asia. Many of them landed in Tashkent, with this group including the engineers who, four years later, would found the Tashkent Gramplastinok factory.
The 15-track compilation is forged primarily of vinyl discovered at this plant, with groups from all over Soviet Central Asia — Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, the Crimean Peninsula and beyond — traveling to Tashkent to record music.
By the mid-’70s, the Soviet disco scene was in full swing, with Latvian DJ Hardijs Lediņš writing a widely read manifesto urging, the album’s liner notes recount, that “greater professionalism amongst musicians was necessary because ‘like mushrooms after the rain, like the rain after a hot day, that’s how discos are springing up today.’ Lediņš echoed the sentiment of many young people who believed these clubs should play more than music imported from the West, where disco was exploded after being born in the clubs of New York City.
“Recognizing the futility of banning disco clubs outright,” the liner notes explain, “the authorities, ever mindful of ideological control, opened dance spaces exclusively through Komsomols (state youth leagues), requiring partygoers to sit through a one-hour lecture on the Soviet worldview before the music dropped”
The U.S.-born genre became so popular in the USSR that by 1976, the Latvian capital of Riga hosted the first week-long USSR-wide disco festival, with artists flying in from across the region to perform. “Almost 200 disco clubs were soon registered with the local Komsomol in Moscow and 300 in Riga,” the liner notes continue, “and eventually, according to data pieced together during our research, about 20,000 public discos were attended by 30 million people a year across all 15 republics in the union.
With discos raking in money, “Dances were now allowing black market trading to fester. ‘Western clothes and other hard-to-get items—vinyl, jeans, foreign cigarettes—were literally being sold under the table. Discos had become a space for early alternative culture, as well as private commerce.’”
Meanwhile, a so-called “disco mafia” emerged in many Soviet cities including Tashkent, with these entities controlling “a lucrative business model with multiple revenue streams. Propaganda and ideology officials began accepting bribes to turn away from clubs indulging in ‘bourgeois’ extravagance or music viewed as ideologically adversarial.
“But the impact of this music went beyond just entertainment or cultural showcases,” the notes conclude. “From the opening of these clubs in the 1960s onwards, the political ranks drew from what historian Sergei Zhuk called ‘The Deep Purple Generation.’ Disco and rock in the Soviet Union played a not insignificant role in the USSR’s unraveling, steering youth leagues and, in turn, future leadership towards attitudes far removed from Soviet gospel.”
The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991, with Synthesizing the Silk Roads offering a relic from this perhaps unlikely moment in music history.
08/30/2024
In just a matter of days, the politician was told off by Beyoncé, Foo Fighters and Jack White.
08/30/2024
There’s a party going down in Brooklyn Friday (Sept. 6). Billboard‘s Hip-Hop Live concert series is coming to Bushwick venue Xanadu for a show headlined by Teezo Touchdown, with performances from BossMan Dlow, “Texas” rapper BigXthaPlug and DJ Miss Milan.
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Those still in need of tickets are in luck, as Billboard and the Billboard Unfiltered team is giving fans the chance to enter a sweepstakes on X to win a pair of tix to the show.
It’s very easy: All you have to do is reply to the official sweepstakes post on Billboard Hip-Hop’s X account with your favorite BossMan Dlow or Teezo Touchdown song. Doing that any time from now until Sept. 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET will give you an official contest entry. There is only one entry allowed per person.
One winner will be notified on Sept. 5, and they will have the chance to claim their two tickets to the show. If the winner does not reply to Billboard within 24 hours, another will be selected. To enter, you must be a legal U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old.
No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. For those who don’t win, tickets are still on sale for the Xanadu roller rink show here for $32.
The winner may be required to provide a completed W-9 or W-8 form. Each winner agrees to Billboard’s use of their name, photograph, likeness, voice, biographical information, statements and address, and any information provided by Billboard for advertising and/or publicity purposes worldwide in all forms of media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without further compensation or authorization, to the extent permitted by law.
“I credit hip-hop as the foundation of my art, so I am honored and excited to perform in the birthstate at such a [prestigious] ceremony,” Teezo said in a statement.
BigXthaPlug was announced as an addition to the lineup on Aug. 28, when Billboard revealed he’s also Amazon Music and Rotation’s next Breakthrough Artist.
“BigXthaPlug has been one of the most exciting new voices in hip-hop, with an outsized sound that’s as big as his personality,” Alexis Cueva, artist relations for Amazon Music, told Billboard. “We’ve already seen our customers respond to his incredible music on Amazon Music, and as our next Breakthrough Artist, we’re excited to help BigX connect with even more fans.”
It all goes down Sept. 6 at Brooklyn’s Xanadu, with the show slated to start at 8 p.m. ET.
Hip-Hop LIVE
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With two concurrent viral hits right now, “Ohnana” and “UWAIE,” Kapo is having a moment.
Far from an overnight success, the Colombian newcomer has been hustling in the music industry for 15 years. In fact, his first approach to music was at the age of 12, with música popular (Colombia’s version of regional Mexican music).
“I lived at a gas station in a small town called El Cabuyal, where that’s the only type of music that was heard,” he tells Billboard. “I sang at the small stores and parking lots near the truck stop, that’s how I debuted, and people would give me coins. I wanted to become a global artist.”
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At 13, Kapo recorded his first urban song, “Yo Tengo Un Sueño” (I have a dream), which became popular among his school friends. At 16, he sold his motorcycle, and with the money he moved to the capital, Bogotá, invested in a music video, and in a promo tour. He pursued a brief career in mass communication, but always with the itch to follow his dream as a singer.
The first person to support him was an artist from Cali called Big Daddy “El Negro,” who would take him to his shows to sing and connected him with other artist and producers in the industry. In search of extra income, Kapo participated on the reality show Yo Me Llamo, where he would imitate Puerto Rican rapper Cosculluela. For two years, he was also the background vocalist for Dominican-born, Panamanian-based artist Mr. Saik.
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In 2019, he inked a record deal with La Industria, Inc.,—home to Nicky Jam and Manuel Turizo, to name a few—and released songs such as “Pelinegra” with Nánpa Basico and “Bulevar” with Esteban Rojas and Pirlo, which gained traction locally. Still, Kapo was behind his global hit.
“I realized that I didn’t have to do what worked, but what moved me,” he notes. “I made romantic music all my life, but I kept it to myself. I have a very bohemian vein, an old soul. My mother always spoke to me about very beautiful things. She is a very humble lady, her vocabulary is not very advanced because she always worked in a restaurant, but she raised her son and her son looked for alternatives to succeed with the correct morals and principles.”
He analyzed the music industry, other artists, the songs that made him known locally — and realized that there was a lack of feel-good, reflective, romantic music. He changed the way he dressed and talked, he focused on his health, read books, and took yoga classes. But it was one precise trip to Jamaica, and a heartbreak, that changed his fate.
“Ohnana,” released this June, was born during a music camp where he was joined by dancehall artist Lion Fiyah and Colombian hitmaker Gangsta. “After I visited The Bob Marley Museum, I worked on the song, I was in a vibe, and in another tune with my vocal tones. ‘Ohnana’ means ‘trust everything will be fine.’”
And the suave Afrobeat with poetic lyrics earned Kapo his first global hit — one that he manifested for 15 years. “Ohnana” peaks at No. 21 on the Hot Latin Songs chart this week, and rises to a new peak on the Billboard Global 200, at No. 60. Plus rises to its No. 30 high on Global Excl. U.S.
Simultaneously, his recent single “UWAIE” — which means “I’m in love with you” in his very own “Kapito Language,” and is an ode to the women in his life — debuts at No. 35 on Hot Latin Songs and at No. 138 on Global 200 and at No. 81 on Global Excl. U.S. The song also counts over 1 million video creations on TikTok at the time of publishing.
“I started to declare everything. I started to talk positively to myself. I started to love myself, and not go where all the sheep go,” he concludes.
Below, learn more about this month’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise:
Name: Juan David Loaiza Sepúlveda
Age: 27
Recommended Song: “UWAIE”
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Major Accomplishment: “Loving what I do and expanding what I do in music to nourish my life and my family. My mother is calm and can count on a son who is moving forward and giving love to the world. More than having hit songs, my mother feels comfortable that I can trust in me and not doubt my creativity. My voice is imperfect musically but in the end it transmits and reaches people. That is what makes me happiest, that through my gift I was able to support my family and connect with people in the best way possible… by being myself.”
What’s Next: “The ‘Ohnana’ remix and a salsa version of the song are coming. I would also like to do an English version with artists from Africa, but that’s a project I have in mind. I’m going to be on the remix of Greeicy’s ‘A Veces a Besos,’ and I’m going to release music with Maluma and J Balvin, but also a song of mine called ‘Sonrie’ (smile) that reflects everything I’m feeling at this moment.”
This week in dance music: An all-star collection of French electronic artists including Jean-Michel Jarre, Breakbot, Busy P and Alan Braxe were announced as performers for the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paralympics Games in Paris; Chase & Status’ Stormzy collab “Backbone” continued its run at the top of the U.K. Official Singles Chart; we spoke with The Blessed Madonna about her forthcoming album and aspiring to be “a little shard of glass in the industry’s foot”; Charli XCX teased a new project; artists including Tokimonsta and Louie Vega offered free music in exchange for participating in democracy; we spoke with producer Clams Casino; Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson’s “Symphony” hit No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50; ADE 2024 expanded its program; and we talked to the CEO of Burning Man, which is happening this week, about the more than 100 other official Burning Man events that happen around the world.
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And of course, there’s the music. These are the best new dance projects of the week.
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Zedd, Telos
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There’s a barrage of different styles and influences on Zedd’s new album, Telos, but on every single one of the 10 tracks, you can hear the great ambition embedded in the project, and also the achievement of its lofty aspirations. The long-awaited follow-up to the producer’s 2015 sophomore album, True Colors — which along with his 2012 debut Clarity set him up as a wunderkind of the EDM era, with a special dexterity in that genre’s pop impulses that delivered a string of hits to the Hot 100 — Telos finds the artist born Anton Zaslavski flexing every one of his musical muscles. The project shows off his classical training and good taste across productions that span classical, jazz, cinematic maximalism, Middle Eastern sounds and electronic party music that nods to the EDM origins of Zaslavski’s career, but evolves his sound into a sophisticated, nuanced (but yes, still danceable) place.
The album features an all-star collection of collaborators, including Bea Miller, who’s on both lead single “Out of Time” and the hooky, punchy “Tangerine Rays”; John Mayer, who adds his singular laidback cool to the jazz fusion influenced “Automatic Yes”; stadium rock stars Muse, who lend operatic grandiosity to the album-closing, spiritual “Epos”; and even Jeff Buckley, who Zaslavski reinterprets with style and grace on his version of the late artist’s 1994 “Dream Brother,” which leans into Radiohead territory without being reductive and hits hard with its string-drenched drops. Altogether, Telos just doesn’t sound like anything else produced recently in the electronic world or, arguably, beyond.
But the artist explains the guiding principles here best, with Zaslavski saying that the Greek word “telos” has multiple meanings, one of them being “accomplishment” or “completion of human art. I’ve always dreamed of creating an album that, 30 years on, I can look back and be incredibly proud of. That will be just as amazing then as it is right now, because it’s not based on trends or sound design that might fall off — it’s based on music, just like the albums that shaped me growing up that I still adore to this day. With Telos, I created something I didn’t think I was capable of — it just took a bit of time to get there.”
Zedd soon to bring the album to a live format with a fall North American tour that includes shows at the L.A. State Historic Park, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Tycho, Infinite Health
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Few producers capture the heady, sun-soaked psychedelia of NorCal as well as Tycho, who again takes us up the coast and into the redwoods with his seventh studio album, Infinite Health. The project is classic Tycho, offering tracks that are clean yet emotive and sophisticated while still getting the blood pumping, simultaneously capturing brightness and melancholy through often hazy, lo-fi IDM that contains thematic multitudes.
“‘Green’ and ‘Devices’ represent the conceptual bookends of the…album,” the artist Scott Hansen writes. “‘Green’ is an elegy to my childhood home, a once-rural town on the outskirts of Sacramento where I spent my youth forging a deep connection with nature. ‘Devices’ represents the struggle to stay connected to nature and our own humanity in the modern world. I wanted to illustrate this tension with a set of sonically contrasting songs.” The album is out via Mom + Pop Records in the U.S and through Ninja Tune in the rest of the world, and the 27-date Infinite Health tour will take Hansen across North America this fall.
Swedish House Mafia & Alicia Keys, “Finally”
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Having woven their edit of Kings of Tomorrow classic into their sets for years now, it follows that Swedish House Mafia have now fully revamped the 2001 house anthem, bringing in none other than Alicia Keys for vocals and trading the brightly bumping bassline, hi-hat and warm keyboards of the original for a much bigger and more urgent swirl of strings. The track extends the XXL house vibe of their 2022 album Paradise Again, and nods to that album’s ambition to lean harder into the genre that the trio were so influenced by that they in fact name themselves after it.
Jon Hopkins, “part ii – palace/illusion“
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Following his 2021 album Music For Psychedelic Therapy (the intention of which was stated right there in the title), English maestro Jon Hopkins returns with an album so deep and soothing that it could very well be used for the same purpose. “Designed,” Hopkins says, “to reconnect you to the deepest part of yourself,” Ritual is subtle, deep and often profound, with the project first sparking to life in 2022 when Hopkins was commissioned to work on an immersive experience, Dreammachine, that set the celestial sonic and visual aesthetic for the eight-track Ritual. The album is out now on Domino Records.
Caribou, “Come Find Me”
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Other DJs might party harder, but is anyone having more fun that Caribou? The artist brings the playfulness that’s always defined the Canadian artist’s visual aesthetic to the video for his latest, “Come Find Me,” which finds a dancer in a tracksuit and oversized Snaith mask dancing alone in settings that include the bus, a city sidewalk and an open field. (Watch for a cameo from Snaith himself at the end.) The track itself is warm, gently building IDM — in other words, classic Caribou — and comes from the artist’s sixth studio album, Honey, coming Oct. 4 on Merge Records.
Andy C & Becky Hill, “Indestructable”
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As drum ‘n’ bass extends its position on the U.K. charts, two of the genre’s key players link for the predictably walloping “Indestructible,” which gets an official release today on Astralwerks but dates back almost ten years, when Andy C first included an early version in his sets. With Hill possessing one of the defining voices of the genre and Andy C being one of its architects, the result is an acutely powerful meeting of the mninds, with Hill’s lyrics pointing to the success of genre itself.
“’How did we end up here, look how far we’ve come,’ say it all,” Andy C says. “It sums up my relationship with DnB, how popular the genre is right now as well as how huge Becky’s career is. It’s just so magical.”
New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard’s Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.
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Lenny Tavárez, Brillar (Kristoman/Warner Music Latina)
Lenny Tavárez has unleashed his sophomore studio album, Brillar, three years after his debut set, Krack. With 16 tracks, Tavárez reeled in longtime collaborators Wisin, Feid, Prince Royce, Chencho Corleone, Ryan Castro, and Piso 21, to name a few. In true Tavárez fashion, and for the most part, the production delivers hard-hitting perreos and saucy reggaetóns, such as “Empelotica,” “Ojos Chinos” and “Mentí.”
Brillar also showcases the Puerto Rican artist’s ability to navigate other genres outside of the Latin urban space. In “Tu Feo,” he teamed up with Prince Royce for a romantic bachata; “Pushi Pashi” and “Tu Piel” are back-to-back electronic tunes; and the Sergio George-assisted “El Yate” is a heartfelt salsa song.
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“I feel like I’m at a balanced moment,” Tavárez said in a press statement. “Doing what I want, writing what I want, without following anyone or anything. Trusting that every day I’m striving to be the best version of myself.” — JESSICA ROIZ
L-Gante, Celda 4 (Warner Music Latina)
As a reflection of his time in prison last year, Argentinian rapper Elian Ángel Valenzuela, artistically known as L-Gante, presents his ultra-personal and emotionally charged debut album Celda 4—the cell where he wrote and recorded music during the 100 days he was locked up. In 2023, Valenzuela was accused of making threats with a weapon and kidnapping a neighbor of his family after a fight at a nightclub, as reported by El País. Celda 4 is a captivating fusion of hip-hop, cumbia, reggaeton and trap, with old-school musical influences.
This 13-track solo album is a fascinating immersion into the emerging ‘RKT’ genre, a local movement that seeks to merge cumbia with reggaetón. His lyrics vividly describe Argentine culture and life in marginalized neighborhoods: “For some, it’s nothing, but for others, it is a lot; we change the game, create a musical movement from the depths of the neighborhoods,” he reflects on the intro track “Sin 0.” The album’s focus track, “MVP,” showcases his exploration of hip-hop, a unique blend that L-Gante has coined as HHS or Hip Hop Sudaka, and sets the tone for the rest of the set. — INGRID FAJARDO
Luck Ra, Nicki Nicole, “Doctor” (Sony Music Latin)
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In a first collaborative effort, Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole and her fellow compatriot Luck Ra drop “Doctor.” Co-produced by Ramky and Tatool, the infectious track laces cumbia villera with norteño elements, backed by heavy percussion and a weeping accordion. In “Doctor,” Nicki and Luck reflect on a relationship that ended and has no chance of returning — but they still miss each other. “I don’t think of anyone who’s not you/ And there’s no doctor who can heal this pain,” goes the short-and-sweet chorus. The music video, filmed in the colonial streets of Buenos Aires, features the two artists, and an adorable old couple, flaunting their best cumbia-dancing skills. — J.R.
Elsa y Elmar, “Drogada de Emociones” (Sony Music México/Elmar Presenta)
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In her latest single “Drogada de Emociones,” Colombian artist Elsa y Elmar explores the universe of emotions that love awakens. The song, included in her new album PALACIO, combines the delicacy of her lyrics with a vocal interpretation that moves between vulnerability and charm. In the lyrics, Elsa offers us an intimate window into her emotional world, laying bare the euphoria and confusion of falling in love. “I’m drugged with emotions / With a laugh that I don’t know why / My heels bend / It’s that I look at you, and it can’t be me,” she sings, while the minimalist production allows her voice to shine in every note. — LUISA CALLE
Ambik, Origen (Grand Move Records/Warner Music Argentina)
Just four months after being featured in Billboard’s On the Radar Latin, Ambik releases a six-track EP in which she skillfully fuses poignant lyrics with experimental sounds. At only 16, the Argentine singer-songwriter — the younger sister of star Tiago PZK — at times can remind of a young Billie Eilish in songs like the piano led “A Tu Espera” and “Cuidar de los Dos,” which offer vulnerable lyrics and an evocative sound with haunting vocals.
On the focus track “Tenerte Otra Vez,” she sings over melancholic guitar melodies and a progressive bass line about a past relationship marred by her own insecurities. With lyrics that show a maturity beyond her years, she addresses themes like fear, destruction and loneliness in the more electronic “Caos,” before closing with the melancholic pop song “Gestos de Amor.” Origen is a solid debut EP in which Ambik demonstrates a clear vision of who she is as an artist.— SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Andrea Bocelli feat. Karol G, “Vivo Por Ella” (Decca Records/Sugar Music)
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Andrea Bocelli and Karol G team up to present a new duet titled “Vivo Por Ella,” reimagining one of his most celebrated songs, “Vivo Per Lei” (“I Live for Her”), originally featuring Spanish singer Marta Sánchez. In this revamped version, the classic piano is replaced with a mix of bowed (arco) and plucked (pizzicato) violin notes, lending a fresh pace that is slightly quicker than its ’90s predecessor.
This dynamic version expertly merges Bocelli’s powerful tenor with the vivid vocals of Colombian superstar Karol G, creating a compelling rendition that’s both fresh and nostalgic. Produced by David Foster and Ellis, this single is a highlight of Bocelli’s forthcoming album, Duets, due out Oct. 25. The album marks his 30th anniversary in music. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Listen to more editors’ Latin recommendations in the playlist below:
Six months after earning its first No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart, Daughtry now has its second, as “Pieces” lifts to the top of the Sept. 7-dated tally. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Pieces” reigns following the one-week rule of “Artificial” in February. The […]
Cage the Elephant’s “Rainbow” leaps three spots to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart dated Sept. 7. The six-piece adds its seventh leader and second in a row, after “Neon Pill” ruled for four weeks beginning in March. The group enters a four-way tie for the eighth-most No. 1s in the Adult Alternative […]