Music
Page: 92
Miguel Bosé admits that on the first day of rehearsals for his upcoming Importante Tour 2025-2026, he felt terrified. “Oh my God! How was this done? How did one walk on stage?” he thought. But when the music started, his body began to move and glide naturally across the wooden platform to the rhythm of his famous song, “Nena.”
Everything was set for the great return of the pop icon, after an eight-year hiatus. It was time for the world to witness his personal and artistic rebirth.
“I was ready to come back, and suddenly going on tour became the most important thing in my life,” says an visibly excited Bosé to Billboard Español in Mexico City, where he has lived for the past seven years.
Trending on Billboard
“I feel very motivated, with a lot of desire. Oh!” he adds. “You see, I wanted to wait eight years to let all the past drama settle down and be able to rebuild myself physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. All that had to be rebuilt.”
Bosé’s last tour was Estaré in 2017, which started in Mexico that February and followed the concept of his last album to date, Bosé: MTV Unplugged (2016), concluding the following year. His last recording was a cumbia version of his classic “Morir de Amor” with Los Ángeles Azules, included in that band’s 2018 album Esto Sí Es Cumbia.
Today, Bosé looks triumphant for having overcome a crisis that shook him on various levels: He partially lost his voice between 2019 and 2023; ended a 26-year relationship with Nacho Palau; suffered the death of his mother, the Italian actress and model Lucía Bosé; and was the victim of an armed robbery at his luxurious home in Mexican City in August 2023.
“When everything that happened happened, and all the problems began to accumulate from all sides, I blamed Bosé. I said, ‘He is to blame’ — ‘You are to blame, bastard, for being who you are. You have destroyed my life.’ So I deconstructed myself like a Lego, and left all the pieces there for eight years,” he said at a press conference following the interview.
The singer of “Aire” and “Si Tú No Vuelves” points out that he had to exercise humility, and decide that the self-punishment had been enough. Therefore, he says that his 2025-2026 Importante Tour will be a “luminous” and “powerful” concert.
“People are going to hear the super hits,” he says, explaining that he had to leave many songs out of the setlist. “I can’t do a six-hour show. It’s not viable.” He details that this tour will consist of several segments like “a collection of paintings” that will depict various characters, stories and landscapes.
Importante Tour will begin its journey on Feb. 27 at the Congress Center in Querétaro, in that state neighboring the capital of Mexico, and will arrive at the National Auditorium in Mexico City on March 14 and 15, before visiting other Mexican cities.
He will continue in June in his native Spain. And, on Oct. 2, he’ll begin the U.S. trek of the tour at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In the coming weeks and months, the artist hopes to announce dates for Latin America.
“I look forward for everyone to come and see luminous, a fun show — a journey through time, through the soundtracks of millions of people — to see this beautiful and bold proposal,” he adds.
With more than 30 million albums sold throughout a five-decade career, Bosé is one of the most recognized Latin pop artists globally. On the Billboard charts, he has placed hits like “Nena,” “Morena Mía,” and “Como un Lobo” on Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay, and multiple albums in the top 10 of the Top Latin Albums ranking, including Papito, Cardio, and Papitwo.
And his influence extends beyond music. Awarded with accolades such as the Latin Recording Academy 2013 Person of the Year, the Global Gift Humanitarian Award and Telemundo’s El Poder en Ti, as a philanthropist, Bosé is deeply involved in such causes as Patrimonio Indígena Mex, Fundación Lucha Contra el Sida and National Geographic’s Pristine Seas.
Although the 68-year-old artist — who’s also a writer and an actor — says he has many songs he has written over the last few years, he has no plans to share new material anytime soon, because he considers that releasing albums is “not viable” at a time when music has been digitalized.
“I have already built my career,” he says. “I don’t feel like recording anything right now. How do you sell that music? Are there stores, are there supports? How much do you pay? What does it contribute? How much does it give you financially? Nothing, I have no desire for others to take advantage of the new creations, that neither I nor my fans have something tangible — a CD, a cassette.
“[Instead] I’ll sing to the people the first 30 songs they are expecting to hear [on the tour] — because if I don’t, they will slit my throat,” he concludes with a laugh.
Spotify playlists are officially getting sticky. The streaming giant rolled out its new “Create Cover Art” feature on Wednesday (Feb. 19), which will allow fans to craft custom cover art tailored to their listening preferences. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The new function features a collection […]
It’s been nearly 16 years since Lady Gaga and Beyoncé made a Thelma & Louise-style getaway in their “Telephone” collaboration, with the music video ending with the message, “To be continued…” Now, the story really is continuing. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Lady Gaga sat down with […]
Abbey Road Studios has shared details of this year’s Equalise Festival, which will return for its sixth annual edition March 3-8.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, the London event will provide young creatives with the opportunity to work with female and non-binary artists, producers and engineers through hands-on learning.
This year’s Equalise programme features workshop sessions from rising names including Aziya, Divorce, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, Fiona-Lee and Flowerovlove, with a final act to be announced.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The respective acts will each record a new piece of music as part of their studio session, while aspiring engineers and producers will be invited into the room to observe the creative process. Producer and harmonica player Sarah Meyz will oversee the sessions alongside Marta Di Nozzi, assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios.
Those interested in participating in Equalise Festival 2025 are encouraged to enter a ballot, where they can submit their work for consideration using the official form here. Entries will close this Sunday (Feb. 23) at 11:59 p.m., and winners will be notified the following day (Feb. 24).
Trending on Billboard
Speaking about Equalise 2025, the studios’ managing director, Sally Davies said in a statement: “I am incredibly proud that the Abbey Road Equalise program is entering its sixth year. At Abbey Road, we believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive music industry and Equalise plays a vital role in creating opportunities for talented young women and non-binary individuals.”
She continued: “By providing young talent with access to our facilities and mentorship from our engineers, we hope to empower the next generation of creative talent to shape the sound of tomorrow. Equalise is not just about providing technical skills; it’s about fostering a supportive community and breaking down barriers for underrepresented voices.”
Since its inception in early 2020, Abbey Road Equalise has delivered a multitude of events coinciding with International Women’s Day, Pride and Trans Day of Visibility, all with the intention of highlighting the need to drive greater gender balance in the music industry.
The site of the world’s most well-renowned recording studio, over 93 years, Abbey Road has welcomed the likes of The Beatles, Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and Florence + The Machine into its hallowed recording spaces. Last year, it played host to the official live ceremony for the Mercury Prize.
Tyla becomes the first African solo artist to hit one billion streams on Spotify with her 2023 breakout smash “Water,” Spotify confirmed Wednesday (Feb. 19). “Water” was released as a single on July 28, 2023, via FAX and Epic Records ahead of her self-titled debut album last March. The song, which included official remixes featuring […]
The first listen to the new Lee Brice single, “Cry,” can feel confusing.
The heart-broken lyric is easy to grasp, and the hook-filled chorus is practically a celebration. But when Brice shifts into an ascendant “Baby, baby, baby” melody about 40 seconds in, it seems momentarily as if “Cry” has broken into the chorus. Instead, the production simmers back down for an additional 60 seconds before the chorus officially begins.
That “baby, baby, baby” thing falls where songwriters typically place a pre-chorus, a short segment that eases the listener from the verse into the chorus. But, since the “baby, baby, baby” moment grows in volume, then slides backward, it operates like a reverse pre-chorus, playing a bit of a head fake with the listener.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“That kind of threw me when I first heard it,” Brice concedes. “I was like, ‘Oh, is this the chorus?’ I mean, I didn’t know, you know – is it part of the verse? It was unique. But it didn’t throw me off as far as whether I like the song or not.”
Trending on Billboard
As “Cry” continues its three-and-a-half-minute run, that “baby, baby, baby” melody appears repeatedly in the background – sometimes quietly, sometimes louder – turning that quirky, counter-intuitive piece from a stumbling block into a unifying element.
“The first time I heard it, I was like, ‘Is that the chorus?’ – the ‘Baby, baby, baby,’” producer Ben Glover (Chris Tomlin, Anne Wilson) says. “And then I was like, ‘No,’ but it was cool. And then I heard the chorus hit, and I was like, ‘Well, I love that chorus.’”
“Cry” clearly works differently than the typical country song, and much of its peculiarity was embedded by the songwriters – Dallas Davidson (“Boys ‘Round Here,” “What Makes You Country”), Ben Hayslip (“Honey Bee,” “Small Town Boy”) and David Garcia (“Meant to Be,” “Southbound”) – when they gathered in Garcia’s office in 2019. Hayslip announced at the start of the session that he wanted to throw out the rules and write something that inspired them, rather than trying to craft something for the marketplace.
Davidson hails Otis Redding as his favorite singer, and Hayslip counts “When a Man Loves a Woman” as his favorite song, and it wasn’t long before the three writers started chasing a song with pieces of soul and doo-wop laced over their country tendencies. Garcia built a musical track with a chord pattern rooted in the 1950s and ‘60s. Davidson had begun experimenting with improvisational melodies, and he positioned himself at a microphone and belted out what became the basic structure of the first verse, beginning with a keeper line, “Who says a man don’t cry?”
“I sang my heart out, and I mumbled and stumbled, and, you know, this [or that] flew out, and they’re going, ‘Hey, see try this,’” Davidson recalls. “Then we’d sit back down and we’d type up a line. I’d go back in there and I’d sing it, and it was fun, man, but that was a total freestyle.”
And part of that freestyle included the “baby, baby, baby” reverse pre-chorus. They kept it.“On normal days, if we’re trying to write a radio hit, in our minds, we don’t do that part right there,” Hayslip notes. “But on this particular day, the mindset we were in was ‘Let’s just write something cool and different and write it for us.’”
The verses played up the drama of a tormented heart, the opening “Who says a man don’t cry?” providing the theme for subsequent variations: Verse two asks, “Who says a man don’t hurt?” and verse three follows with “Who says a man don’t beg?” That latter line was a nod to The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg.”
“I had a lot of Motown going on in my head,” Davidson says. “All my favorites were talking to me – from Sam & Dave, Sam Cooke to Otis. There were a lot of voices in my head that day, going, ‘Sing it like this, boy. Sing it like this.’”
Garcia intensified his playing when they arrived at the chorus, and that turned “Cry” from a ballad into more of a Motown-like party with an energetic sound masking the self-pitying story.
“When he was playing on the chorus, this whole song became what it was,” Hayslip says. “When we first started writing this song with the verses, I don’t think we envisioned this song becoming what it became. We were writing a sad song, and the more the track kept going, we’re like, ‘Hey, this feels like an uptempo, feel-good song.’”
Meanwhile, Brice – on a day that he was working with Jerrod Niemann – invited Davidson over to his studio to hear his next album. Davidson was impressed by the project, but also thought it was missing one element, which could be filled by “Cry.” He played Brice the demo, and Brice immediately asked for rights to record it and started building his own version, playing guitars and keyboards, plus offbeat percussion – he employed a washboard, and played kick drum and snare with his thumb, instead of a drumstick. Niemann chipped in on percussion, and – according to the credits – so did the Holy Spirit, who didn’t actually sign the Musician Union’s session card.
“We had the real Holy Spirit with us,” Brice says with a laugh, “and he didn’t want no money.”
Brice laid down a lead vocal within a few days, though he struggled a bit and decided to give it all he had on one final take so that he would have a guide for the rest of the recording process. “I was sick, and I just threw it down,” he says. “I had to sing through it one time because I knew I needed at least a scratch vocal on there, and that ended up being the vocal on the song, for the most part. I think I went in and I hit a couple spots, but it was so real. I had to stretch so hard because I was so sick.”
Brice turned it over to Glover, who called on other musicians to work on “Cry,” and the team would frequently keep parts of a performance, then enlist another player to do more. As a result, the final features two basses, four electric guitars and four keyboards, plus programming from four different contributors.
They used some of Davidson’s demo vocal for harmonies, and took pieces of his quirky “baby, baby, baby” pre-chorus and threw them around the track, each sounding a little different from the others. “If it’s gonna be a thing,” Brice reasons, “let’s make it a thing.”
Glover added plenty of supporting vocals, too, including a section with Beach Boys overtones, and some electronically altered voices. Glover similarly applied filtering to a Hammond B-3 around the three-minute mark. “It sounds like R2-D2,” Glover says.
Niemann played a steel guitar solo, and Glover gave that its own sonic treatment. “We wanted it to sound a little bit like John Lee Hooker or that really nasty early Stratocaster,” Glover adds. “It sounds like it’s played through a tiny little amp – that kind of charm.”
In the end, “Cry” folds in country, old-school and doo-wop, but with enough modern elements that those retro influences sound current – think Amy Winehouse or Meghan Trainor. Curb released it as a single Jan. 31 after Brice identified that sound as a potential next wave.
“I started even hearing demos coming in where more people are doing this kind of vibe,” he says. “I don’t want to be following it. I want this to come out first.”
Cynthia Erivo is set to host 2025 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8. The ceremony will return to Radio City Music Hall in New York City for the first time since 2022. It will broadcast live to both coasts on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
“I am so proud and excited to take on this glorious honor,” Erivo said in a statement. “I am looking forward to ushering the theater community at large through a night that celebrates the wonderful performances we have witnessed throughout the year. I hope I can rise to the occasion.”
Trending on Billboard
This is Erivo’s first time hosting the Tonys, where she was a winner in 2016 for her lead role in The Color Purple. Ariana DeBose, also a Tony winner, hosted the Tonys the last three years. This will be the fifth year in a row that a woman of color has hosted the Tonys. Audra McDonald did the honors in 2021.
Erivo, 38, is the star of Wicked, which has become the highest-grossing film adapted from a Broadway musical. Erivo is Oscar-nominated for best actress for her role in Wicked, though she is not expected to win when the awards are presented on March 2. (Rumors persist that she and co-star Ariana Grande may be enticed to perform on the show.) It’s Erivo’s third Oscar nod, following dual nods (best actress and best original song) five year ago for Harriet.
In addition to her Tony win, Erivo has won a Grammy and a Daytime Emmy, both for projects related to The Color Purple.
“Cynthia is a remarkable talent and with her deep roots in the theater community, we are honored to have her host this year’s Tony Awards on CBS,” Mackenzie Mitchell, vp of specials at CBS, said in a statement.
Nominations for this year’s Tony Awards will be announced on Thursday, May 1.
The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers and showrunners for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director.
A$AP Rocky celebrated both in the courtroom on Tuesday (Feb. 18) after a jury ruled he was not guilty in his 2021 felony shooting case — the rapper jumped over the courtroom rail into the gallery where he and Rihanna embraced after hearing the verdict.
Turns out, Rocky wasn’t the only one celebrating. Many artists across hip-hop showed their support for Rocky after the verdict came down, including 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, Ye (formerly Kanye West), Papoose and more.
Trending on Billboard
“To God Be The Glory,” Minaj posted to her Instagram Story with a photo of RiRi and Rocky holding their two kids Riot and RZA.
West, who teamed up with Rocky for “Jukebox Joints” in 2015, posted a black-and-white photo of the Harlem native in court, which he captioned with a praying hands emoji after learning the not guilty verdict. Ye’s Instagram post has compiled over 1.6 million likes in 14 hours as of press time.
50 Cent took a break from trashing Joe Budden to take a victory lap regarding A$AP Rocky’s case as he allegedly predicted that Rocky was going to beat the case and was willing to bet $500,000 on it.
“Not Guilty I told [ninja]’s I would bet 500,000 K he gonna beat it when ASAP Tellie started getting tired of telling 5 days straight BOOM Now stay sucker free,” he wrote to IG.
Filmmaker Spike Lee celebrated the verdict and thanked the judge and jury for their ruling. He also took the chance to promote his upcoming Highest 2 Lowest movie starring A$AP Rocky alongside Denzel Washington, which is coming to theaters this summer.
“Good Morning, Thanks To The Judge And Jury For The NOT GUILTY VERDICT,” he wrote. “A$AP And DENZEL WASHINGTON Are [fire] In HIGHEST 2 LOWEST. DA New SPIKE LEE JOINT This SUMMER. And DAT’S DA ‘ 40 ACRES AND A MULE’ TRUTH,RUTH.,YA-DIG SHO-NUFF.”
Papoose posted the viral clip of Rocky diving into the courtroom gallery. “I know on the internet everything is a joke. But man I’m so happy for this dude. Peace to Asap & his family! God is good,” the rapper added in his caption.
If found guilty, Rocky faced up to 24 years in prison, but prosecutors were seeking an eight-year sentence. Rocky and Rihanna celebrated the verdict outside the Los Angeles Superior Court as the three-week trial came to a close. “THE GLORY BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD ALONE! THANKFUL, HUMBLED BY HIS MERCY,” she wrote in an Instagram Story.
The rapper thanked the jurors in a brief post-verdict presser. “First of all, we want to thank God,” he said. “We really want to thank the jury for making the right decision … We’re blessed to be here right now, to be a free man talking to y’all.”
Rocky was arrested in April 2022 at Los Angeles International Airport after being accused of firing a handgun twice at former friend A$AP Relli (born Terrell Ephron) near a Hollywood hotel in November 2021. He faced two felony counts of assault with a firearm.
Offset isn’t letting anyone shake his confidence following his split from Cardi B — especially fans claiming his famous ex is the only reason other women have dated him since.
In a since-deleted post on X Tuesday (Feb. 18), the Migos rapper shut down a troll who wrote that “the only reason” he’s attractive to women is “because he was married to Cardi B.” “Incorrect lol I’m him,” ‘Set simply replied, according to VIBE.
Earlier in the thread, another person had pulled up five-year-old screenshots of posts by Atlanta model Melanie Jayda — whom Offset is rumored to be dating — praising the “WAP” hitmaker back in 2019. “Just excited to get Cardi’s leftovers,” the user had written of Jayda.
Trending on Billboard
Another Cardi fan also got a reaction out of the “Stir Fry” artist by writing, “Offset is operating from a bruised ego!! Cardi not only moved on, she upgraded … with another man who is better looking and has more money,” potentially referring to the Grammy winner’s rumored new boyfriend, Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
“You b—hes delulu wouldn’t I be the perfect n—a if …,” Offset wrote in another now-deleted reply. “Stop talking bout money baby u delusional.”
The exchanges come about seven months after Cardi filed to divorce ‘Set for a second time. Just over a month later, the couple’s third child arrived Sept. 7, 2024.
The exes have been going back and forth on where they stand ever since. While the Whipshots founder has said she wants a “healthy co-parenting relationship” with Offset, both hip-hop stars have put each other on blast online multiple times. In December, for instance, the “Ric Flair Drop” musician accused Cardi of focusing on “d—” and trying to “make me look bad,” after which she fired back, “So dating because I’m single means I’m just worried about d—?? You sound like a dummy … F–k off and sign the papers TODAY.”
Cut to Valentine’s Day, and Offset appeared to air out his grievances on a new single titled “Ten.” “I don’t need you, I got money/ I don’t miss you, I got money,” he spits on the track. “Love you, but not like money/ Love all my hoes the same.”
Less than two years after first appearing on a Billboard chart, Sleep Theory hits No. 1 on a ranking for the first time, jumping three spots to the top of the Mainstream Rock Airplay list dated Feb. 22 with “Stuck In My Head.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The four-piece reigns with its third charted song on Mainstream Rock Airplay, following “Fallout” (No. 2 peak last August) and “Numb” (No. 9, January 2024).
Sleep Theory, which formed in Memphis in 2020, is the first act to land an inaugural Mainstream Rock Airplay since The Funeral Portrait led with “Suffocate City,” featuring Spencer Charnas, in November.
Trending on Billboard
Concurrently, “Stuck In My Head” becomes Sleep Theory’s first song to reach Alternative Airplay, debuting at No. 38.
On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the single lifts 15-13 with 2.6 million audience impressions, up 6%, in the week ending Feb. 13, according to Luminate. It’s a new best rank for the band, eclipsing the No. 14 peak of “Fallout.”
On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated Feb. 15, reflecting data accrued Jan. 31-Feb. 6), “Stuck In My Head” ranked at No. 8, after reaching No. 6 in January. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 728,000 official U.S. streams.
“Stuck In My Head” is the third single from Afterglow, Sleep Theory’s debut full-length, due May 16 via Epitaph. The band is set to follow with more than 30 U.S. tour dates between May 18 and July 18.
All Billboard charts dated Feb. 22 will update Tuesday, Feb. 18, on Billboard.com.