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Hundreds of people packed several streets of the Historic Center of Mexico City on Friday (Nov. 22) to listen and see live Puerto Rican star Rauw Alejandro, who sang from a balcony of a legendary mansion in a brief concert that went viral on social media. Dressed in the official jersey of the Mexican National […]
Carín León, Eladio Carrión, Morat and Kidd Voodoo have been added to the 64th annual Viña del Mar International Song Festival, organizers announced Friday (Nov. 22) night.
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They will be joining the previously announced stars Marc Anthony, Ha*Ash, Carlos Vives, Miryam Hernández, Duki, Sebastián Yatra and Bacilos. The event is scheduled to take place Feb. 23-28 at Viña del Mar, Chile.
“We have developed a lineup for the whole family, featuring international artists at their peak for younger audiences, as well as classics and historic performers for the older ones,” Viña del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti said in a press release. “Every night is turning out to be very appealing, which allows those who attend Quinta Vergara and the millions who watch the Festival on television to enjoy a modern event, with the latest technology and full of innovation that we will announce in the coming weeks.”
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Hailing from Hermosillo, Sonora, Carín León, is one of the biggest forces behind the surge of regional Mexican music globally. He started his musical journey as a teen and rose to prominence after his solo debut in 2018, Amanecida Con Todo y Con Todos. With his recent offering, Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, he debuted on Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts at No. 8 and No. 5, respectively.
Colombian band Morat recently finished their Morat: Los Estadios tour across 25 stadiums in different countries, concluding Dec. 13 at the Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City. Members Juan Pablo Isaza, Martín Vargas, Simón Vargas, and Juan Pablo Villamil have gained recognition for their pop-rock sensibility with hits such as “No Se Va,” and “Salir Con Vida,” and “Besos en Guerra.”
Latin trap star Eladio Carrión, of Puerto Rican descent, broke through in 2018 with certified gold hits like “Me Usaste” and “Si Tú Te Vas.” Earlier this year, he dropped Sol María, dedicated to his mother, which saw him expanding his genre versatility, and a hard-hitting trap EP Porque Puedo. He entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice with “Coco Chanel” and “Thunder & Lightning,” alongside Bad Bunny.
Chilean artist and member of the group 4F (Los Cuatro Fantásticos de la Música), Kidd Voodoo enjoys local popularity with hits like “Enrolar”, “Ese Guille” and “Dámelo BB.” He recently released “Satirología,” a single that in less than three weeks garnered over half a million views on YouTube.
Touted as the largest Latin music festival in the world, Viña del Mar spans six days and features a mix of celebrated stars, emerging talents, and local performers competing for the “Gaviotas” awards — silver, gold and platinum — judged by a panel and influenced by viewer feedback.
Since its 1960 inception, the festival takes place at the Quinta Vergara amphitheater, which has a capacity of 15,000 and is located in the Valparaíso region on the central coast.
This year introduces a first-time partnership between Megamedia and Bizarro Live Entertainment. Additionally, Disney+ will livestream the event throughout Latin America, and Billboard is set to provide exclusive global content on the website.
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Source: CFOTO / Getty / Lululemon
One Connecticut couple f***ed around and eventually found out after allegedly going on a Lululemon boosting spree across the country.
NBC News reports that Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were pinched at a Lululemon store in Woodbury, Minnesota, and charged with organized retail theft on November 4.
According to the news website, the couple boosted around $1 million in Lululemon merchandise nationwide. Before their arrest, the complaint notes that the couple visited another Lululemon location in Roseville, Minnesota, with an unidentified man, where they allegedly stole $5,000 worth of product.
The couple allegedly had an elaborate theft scheme they used when visiting the locations that ensured they could make off with the goods.
Per NBC News:
An investigator for Lululemon said the couple and the organized crime group they work for had been stealing from stores across the country since September and are responsible for nearly $1 million worth of financial loss for the company, per the complaint.
The investigator explained how the couple allegedly run their theft scheme, with Richards typically entering the store first and purchasing a couple of small items. Richards and Lawes-Richards would then remove a security sensor from another item in the store that they’d attach to the small items Richards purchased, then steal other items that they’d conceal under their clothes and jackets.
Lawes-Richards and a third person would walk out of the store ahead of Richards with the stolen items, and when the security sensor at the store would beep, Richards would offer his bag that contained the small purchased item with a sensor attached to it to staff, according to the complaint. The couple would then take the stolen items to another store to exchange them without a receipt.
Well damn.
Lululemon’s Statement on The Couple’s Arrest
In a statement, Lululemon’s vice president of asset protection, Tristen Shields, spoke on the couple’s arrest, saying that the company is committed to “creating a safe and secure environment” for shoppers and staff.
Shields continued, “This outcome continues to underscore our ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training, and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime and hold offenders accountable. We remain dedicated to continuing these efforts to address and prevent this industry-wide issue.”
After the couple’s arrest, authorities obtained a search warrant. They found large suitcases containing an estimated $50,000 worth of Lululemon products in a rented room at the J.W. Marriott in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Online records indicate the couple was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on November 14. NBC News reports that Lawes-Richards got out on $30,000 bail on Tuesday, November 19, and Richards was released Thursday, November 21, on $100,000 bail.
Khalid is opening up about his sexuality — even if it’s not something he originally intended to talk about. In a series of posts to his X on Friday (Nov. 22), Khalid officially came out as gay, simply posting a rainbow flag emoji and asking his fans to move on to the “next topic please […]
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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Thalia’s Christmas Agenda
This week, Thalia was confirmed as part of the “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” lineup, joining The Backstreet Boys, Coco Jones, Jennifer Hudson, and Dan + Shay, to name a few. She is set to perform at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony set to air at 8 p.m. ET on December 4 via NBC. The news comes just weeks after the Mexican star dropping her debut holiday EP, Navidad Melancólica, featuring standout collaboration “Nació La Luz” with Marcos Witt.
“I decided to release a Christmas album to transform these dates, which are often charged with social pressure and intense emotions, into a more positive and liberating experience,” the singer and actress said in a statement. “With this album, I seek to accompany those who wish to turn vulnerable moments into joyful and lasting memories. In addition, I saw in this project a beautiful opportunity to immortalize my own experiences, creating a musical legacy full of meaning and happiness.”
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Emilia’s New Movie Venture
On the heels of being nominated for best pop vocal album at the 2024 Latin Grammys, performing her vibrant “No_Se_Ve.mp3” at the ceremony, and participating at the Person of the Year gala, where she performed for Carlos Vives, Emilia is on to her next career venture. This time, she forms part of the forthcoming Moana sequel, having her own track called “Al Final” on the Moana 2 movie soundtrack. “It’s a dream. I still can’t believe it,” she expressed on her Instagram account. The Argentine artist previously starred as Sofía in Disney’s Entrelazados (Intertwined). Listen to “Al Final” below.
Honoring 30 Years of Intocable
Celebrating 30 years of Intocable, the Texas-based norteño band—known for their rich blends of rock, polka, pop, folk, and cumbia—will be honored with three prestigious recognitions in Texas. In a ceremony set for 6:30 p.m. on November 27 at the Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, the tejano group will receive an official Proclamation from the Texas Governor’s Office; presented with the Texas Flag by the Texas House of Representatives; and will be named Emissary of the Muses by the city of San Antonio. “These honors celebrate Intocable’s enduring contributions to music and their cultural impact both within Texas and beyond,” reads an official statement.
Intocable
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Joaquina Named Gibson’s New Artist Spotlight
Earlier this week, Gibson announced Venezuelan-American singer-songwriter Joaquina as its new artist spotlight musician. A former Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise and the 2023 Latin Grammy best new artist winner, Joaquina officially joins the program that kicked off this year that highlights an evolving roster of musicians who are celebrated across Gibson’s global channels. ““Currently, I’m working on my debut album, a project that has been about two years in the making,” the artist shared in an interview with Gibson. “It will be released in January 2025, and I’m working hard to make sure that this represents me as I navigated the last couple of years of my life. It’s been exciting to work hard on how it all sounds, looks, and feels.”
Joaquina poses with the award for Best New Artist in the media center for The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards at FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre on Nov. 16, 2023 in Seville, Spain.
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Zhamira’s First 2X Platinum Plaque
Zhamira Zambrano has received her first-ever Multi-Platinum plaque from the RIAA for her heartfelt track “Extrañándote” in collaboration with Puerto Rican artist and her husband, Jay Wheeler. “Hi little Zhamy, who dreams of being a singer. Little by little you are achieving it! And although there are still many dreams to fulfill and a lot of work to do, today I want to tell you that you have your first 2X platinum plaque,” she sweetly expressed on her Instagram account, along with a set of photos of her career achievement.
“Extrañándote” peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart earlier this year, earning Zambrano her second Billboard top 10 hit. “The song emerged organically in the studio,’” Zambrano previously told Billboard. “We wanted to do something more upbeat than a ballad and that’s how ‘Extrañandote’ came to be, as always, aimed at love and heartbreak and that’s why many people relate. I’m super happy to know that people have made it their own.”
11/22/2024
From K-pop gossip to the star-studded afterparty in West Hollywood, here’s what Billboard learned and overheard during the first-ever MAMA Awards ceremony in the States.
11/22/2024
J. Cole’s packing on the nostalgia for fans before 2024’s out. The Dreamville boss followed The Come Up‘s DSP arrival with the release of his sacred The Warm Up mixtape to streaming services for the first time on Friday (Nov. 22). Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
Playboi Carti continues to drop music on social media instead of streaming services. On Friday (Nov. 22), the Atlanta rapper released “Play This” on his @opium_00pium Instagram account to follow up his recent ComplexCon performance in Las Vegas. The strategy is an interesting one, as he’s dropped a bunch of songs this year, but most […]
JYP Entertainment, the K-pop company behind such artists as TWICE and Stray Kids, is on a roll, with its stock closing Friday (Nov. 22) at 66,100 won ($47.06) — up 11.3% for the week and marking its highest closing price since May 10. This week, the company seemingly got a nudge from the Monday (Nov. 18) announcement of Stray Kids’ 20-date, Live Nation-produced stadium tour in 2025 that will cover North America, Latin America and Europe. But the momentum has been building for a while; over the last three weeks, JYP shares have gained 35.6%.
Other K-pop stocks also posted gains this week: YG Entertainment rose 7.7% as “APT” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars spent a fourth week atop the Billboard global charts and reached No. 1 in Japan. Elsewhere, HYBE improved 4.4% and SM Entertainment increased 4.3%. Collectively, the four K-pop companies have gained an average of 20.7% in the last three weeks and narrowed their average year-to-date deficit to 15%.
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Another high-flying music stock was Live Nation, which jumped 8.7% to an all-time high of $140.26 on Friday after more analysts increased their price targets. Citigroup increased its target on the concert promoter to $163 from $130, while Deutsche Bank upped its target to $150 from $130. As of Friday’s closing price, Live Nation shares have gained 49.8% in 2024 and 19.8% in just the last three weeks. The company’s third-quarter earnings on Nov. 11 can take credit for some of the recent gains, though Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election played a part, too, as investors believe Live Nation’s ongoing lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice will see a more favorable resolution with the incoming administration.
In other music stocks news, Spotify continued its hot streak by gaining 3.7% to $475.27, marking its second-highest closing price ever. A week earlier, Spotify shares gained 14.5% after the company’s third-quarter earnings showed the company achieved a record operating profit. The streaming company’s stock has gained 153% in 2024 and is up 23.6% in the last three weeks alone.
The 20-company Billboard Global Music Index rose 2.1% to a record 2,208.32 as 14 stocks finished the week with gains, putting it in line with stocks around the globe. In the United States, both the Nasdaq composite and S&P 500 increased 1.7%. In the United Kingdom, the FTSE was up 2.5%. South Korea’s KOSPI composite index gained 3.5%. Only China’s Shanghai Composite Index was an exception, dropping 1.9%.
Elsewhere, music streamer LiveOne gained 12.8% to $0.88, while iHeartMedia improved 8.6% to $2.40 after the radio giant announced terms for a debt exchange that will ease the company’s financial burden and extend most of the maturity dates for its debts. As of Nov. 14, note holders representing approximately 85% of outstanding debt have agreed to exchange notes under the new terms.
Just six of the index’s 20 stocks finished the week in negative territory. The sharpest drop came from German concert promoter CTS Eventim, which fell 9.7% this week after the company’s third-quarter earnings showed an increase in revenue but a drop in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin for both the promotion and ticketing segments.
Lastly, label giant Warner Music Group (WMG) dropped 3.3% to $31.85 following the release of its latest quarterly earnings on Thursday (Nov. 21). JP Morgan dropped its price target to $40 from $41 after lowering its estimate for fiscal 2025 adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) to $1.49 billion from $1.527 billion. Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank cut its WMG price target to $34 from $36.
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Kendrick Lamar still has a couple axes to grind. The Compton rapper surprised everyone by dropping his sixth studio album, GNX, and he addressed a bunch of things. A couple of the most notable topics he broached were that of Lil Wayne and his friends being upset that Lamar was chosen by Jay-Z and the […]