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SEVENTEEN Gives Inspiring Speech on ‘Positive Change,’ Performs Medley of Hits at UNESCO Youth Forum

SEVENTEEN came together at the UNESCO Youth Forum in Paris this week to share the importance of supporting young people in pursuing their dreams.

The event, which marked the first-ever session at the forum dedicated to a musical artist, was attended by more than 1,300 people from around the world, including representatives from the 194 Member States of UNESCO, 170 youth delegates and more. UNESCO, which is short for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a specialized agency within the United Nations that works to promote “world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture,” per its website.

“We want to make sure that no young people, no matter who they are or where they’re coming from, ever give up on their dreams or get discouraged,” SEVENTEEN member Mingyu said during the group’s joint speech at the conference. “We believe that by supporting people’s dreams, we are also spreading positivity and hope.” 

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Joshua chimed in by adding, “We have already experienced what it’s like to make your dreams come true by coming together in solidarity for positive change. We hope that our actions through UNESCO will reach young people everywhere, who are fostering, reaffirming, and acting on their dreams, even as we speak.”

Following their speech, SEVENTEEN performed a medley of hits, including “_WORLD,” “Darl+ing,” “Headliner,” “God of Music” and “Together.”

Watch the full livestream of the UNESCO Youth Forum below.

Latin Grammy Awards 2023 Winners: Full List (Updating)

Hitmaker Edgar Barrera, the lead nominee for the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards, picked up the first award of the day at the Premiere Ceremony, taking place in Seville, Spain today (November 16). Considering this marks the first time the Latin Grammys take place outside the U.S., it was appropriate that the ceremony kicked off with a brand new award: Songwriter of the year.

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The televised awards will take place later today at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, and will be broadcast stateside on the Univision network, UniMás and Galavision.

The non-televised Premiere ceremony started, in a nod to the host city of Sevilla, with a lengthy homage to flamenco featuring performers Israel Fernández, Niña Pastori, Omar Montes, Juanfe Pérez and Diego Guerrero. It was followed by the presentation of the Songwriter of the year award to Barrera, who thanked the Academy “for opening up a space to those of us who are dedicated to writing songs but don’t sing them, who usually aren’t seen but once a year, show our face.”

leads the list of nominees with 13 nods, including producer of the year and song of the year — this as co-writer of both “NASA” by Camilo & Alejandro Sanz and “un X100to” by Grupo Frontera with Bad Bunny. In addition, he has three nods each in the best tropical song and best regional Mexican song categories, and one for best pop song. And he also competes for album of the year as producer of Camilo’s De Adentro Pa Afuera.

Barrera is followed in nominations by Colombian stars CamiloKarol GShakira and composer Kevyn Mauricio Cruz (also known as Keityn), each with seven nominations. Argentine producer and DJ Bizarrap has six.

Following the Premiere ceremony, the Latin Grammys will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET in the U.S. In Spain, they will be broadcast on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) beginning at 10:30 p.m. CET.

Other big contenders this year: Pablo AlboránBad BunnyMaria BecerraFeid, Dave Cutch and Natalia Lafourcade, with five nominations each; and Santiago Alvarado, Paula ArenasJuanes and Ovy on the Drums, with four each.

Below is the full list of winners of the 24th annual Latin Grammy Awards, which will be updated throughout the evening.

General Field

Record of the year

“No Es Que Te Extrañe,” Christina Aguilera

“Carretera y Manta,” Pablo Alborán

“Déjame Llorarte,” Paula Arenas Featuring Jesús Navarro

“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Bizarrap Featuring Shakira

“Si Tú Me Quieres,” Fonseca & Juan Luis Guerra

“Mientras Me Curo Del Cora,” Karol G

“De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade

“Ojos Marrones,” Lasso

“La Fórmula,” Maluma & Marc Anthony

“Despechá,” Rosalía

“Correcaminos,” Alejandro Sanz Featuring Danny Ocean

Album of the year

La Cu4rta Hoja, Pablo Alborán

A Ciegas, Paula Arenas

De Adentro Pa Afuera, Camilo

Décimo Cuarto, Andrés Cepeda

Vida Cotidiana, Juanes

Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G

De Todas Las Flores, Natalia Lafourcade

Play, Ricky Martin

EADDA9223, Fito Paez

Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así, Carlos Vives

Song of the year

“Acróstico,” Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno, L.E.X.U.Z, Luis Fernando Ochoa & Shakira, songwriters (Shakira)

“Amigos,” Pablo Alborán & Maria Becerra, songwriters (Pablo Alborán Featuring Maria Becerra)

“De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade)

“Ella Baila Sola,” Pedro Julian Tovar Oceguera, songwriter (Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma)

“NASA,” Edgar Barrera, Camilo & Alejandro Sanz, songwriters (Camilo & Alejandro Sanz)

“Ojos Marrones,” Luis Jiménez, Lasso & Agustín Zubillaga, songwriters (Lasso)

“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap, Kevyn Mauricio Cruz & Shakira, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Shakira)

“Si Tú Me Quieres,” Fonseca, Yadam González & Yoel Henríquez, songwriters (Fonseca & Juan Luis Guerra)

“TQG,” Kevyn Mauricio Cruz, Karol G, Ovy On The Drums & Shakira, songwriters (Karol G Featuring Shakira)

“un X100to,” Bad Bunny, Edgar Barrera, Marco Daniel Borrero & Andres Jael Correa Rios, songwriters (Grupo Frontera Featuring Bad Bunny)

Best new artist

Borja

Conexión Divina

Ana Del Castillo

Natascha Falcão

Gale

Paola Guanche

Joaquina

Leon Leiden

Maréh

Timø

Field 1: Pop

Best pop vocal album

La Cu4arta Hoja, Pablo Alborán

Beautiful Humans Vol. 1, Alemor

De Adentro Pa Afuera, Camilo

La Neta, Pedro Capó

Tu Historia, Julieta Venegas

Best traditional pop vocal album

A Ciegas, Paula Arenas

Que Me Duela, Camilú

Corazón y Flecha, Manuel Carrasco

Décimo Cuarto, Andrés Cepeda

Placeres y Pecados, Vanesa Martín

Best pop song

“5:24,” Edgar Barrera & Camilo, songwriters (Camilo)

“Bailo Pa Ti,” Natalia Hernández Morales, Monsieur Periné, Santiago Prieto Sarabia, Julio Reyes Copello & Mitchie Rivera, songwriters (Monsieur Periné)

“Contigo,” Pablo Alborán, Mauricio Rengifo, Andrés Torres & Sebastián Yatra, songwriters (Sebastián Yatra Featuring Pablo Alborán)

“Déjame Llorarte,” Paula Arenas & Manuel Ramos, songwriters (Paula Arenas & Jesús Navarro)

“Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap, Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno & Shakira, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Shakira)

Field 2: Urban

Best urban/fusion performance

“La Jumpa,” Arcángel Featuring Bad Bunny

“Ojalá,” Maria Becerra

“Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” Bizarrap Featuring Quevedo

“TQG,” Karol G Featuring Shakira

“Yandel 150,” Yandel & Feid

Best reggaeton performance

“Automático,” Maria Becerra

“La Receta,” Tego Calderón

“Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo,” Feid

“Gatúbela,” Karol G Featuring Maldy

“Hey Mor,” Ozuna & Feid

Best urban music album

Xtassy, Akapellah

Saturno, Rauw Alejandro

3Men2 Kbrn, Eladio Carrión

Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo Te Pirateamos El Álbum, Feid

Mañana Será Bonito, Karol G

Alma, Nicki Nicole

Best rap/hip hop song

“Autodidacta,” Mauro De Tommaso & Nohelys Jimenez, songwriters (J Noa)

WINNER: “Coco Chanel,” Bad Bunny & Eladio Carrión, songwriters (Eladio Carrión Featuring Bad Bunny)

“Dispara ***,” Santiago Alvarado, Milo J, Nicki Nicole & Santiago Ruiz, songwriters (Nicki Nicole Featuring Milo J)

“Le Pido A Dios,” Martin Chris E, Feid & Esteban Higuita Estrada, songwriters (Feid Featuring Dj Premier)

“Pá Ganá,” Akapellah, songwriter (Akapellah)

“Pregúntale A Tu Papá Por Mí,” Vico C, songwriter (Vico C)

Best urban song

“Automático,” Maria Becerra, songwriter (Maria Becerra)

“La Jumpa,” Bad Bunny & Austin Santos, songwriters (Arcángel Featuring Bad Bunny)

“Mi Mejor Canción,” Nelson Onell Diaz, Farruko, Gocho, Franklin Jovani Martinez & Eric Perez Rovira, songwriters (Gocho Featuring Farruko)

WINNER: “Quevedo: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” Santiago Alvarado, Bizarrap & Quevedo, songwriters (Bizarrap Featuring Quevedo)

“TQG,” Kevyn Mauricio Cruz, Karol G, Ovy On The Drums & Shakira, songwriters (Karol G Featuring Shakira)

“Yandel 150,” Jowan, Andrés David Restrepo, Joan Manuel Ubinas Jiménez & Yandel, songwriters (Yandel & Feid)

Field 3: Rock

Best rock album

Íntimo Extremo – 30 Años, A.N.I.M.A.L

Cowboys De La A3, Arde Bogotá

De La Tierra III, De La Tierra

Dopelganga, Eruca Sativa

WINNER: Sólo D’ Lira, Molotov

Best rock song

“Depredadores,” Andrés Giménez & Andreas Kisser, songwriters (De La Tierra)

“El Piso Es Lava,” Todo Aparenta Normal, songwriter (Todo Aparenta Normal Featuring An Espil & Evlay)

“Gris,” Juanes, songwriter (Juanes)

“Leche De Tigre,” Juan Galeano, songwriter (Diamante Eléctrico Featuring Adrián Quesada)

“Los Perros,” Arde Bogotá, songwriters (Arde Bogotá)

Best pop/rock album

El Diablo En El Cuerpo, Alex Anwandter

Trinchera Avanzada, Babasónicos

El Hombrecito Del Mar, León Gieco

Vida Cotidiana, Juanes

Tripolar, Usted Señalemelo

Despídeme De Todxs, Juan Pablo Vega

Best pop/rock song

“Alaska,” Bunbury, songwriter (Bunbury)

“Amantes,” León Larregui, songwriter (León Larregui)

“Caminar Sola,” Alex Anwandter & Julieta Venegas, songwriters (Julieta Venegas)

“¿Dónde Se Llora Cuando Se Llora?,” Francisca Valenzuela & Francisco Victoria, songwriters (Francisca Valenzuela)

“Ojos Marrones,” Luis Jiménez, Lasso & Agustín Zubillaga, songwriters (Lasso)

“Señorita Revolución,” Bruses & Ali Stone, songwriters (Bruses)

Field 4: Alternative

Best alternative music album

Martínez, Cabra

Nacarile, iLe

Bolero Apocalíptico, Monsieur Periné

Mesa Dulce, Dante Spinetta

Reputa, Zahara

Best alternative song

“Aleros/Pompeii,” Sebastian Ayala, Daniel Briceño, Henry D ́Arthenay, Rodolfo Pagliuca & Hector Tosta, songwriters (La Vida Boheme)

“ANASTASIA,” Cami & Jonathan Julca, songwriters (Cami)

“Cicatriz Radiante,” El David Aguilar, songwriter (El David Aguilar)

“El Lado Oscuro Del Corazón,” Dante Spinetta, songwriter (Dante Spinetta)

“Traguito,” Ismael Cancel, iLe & Mon Laferte, songwriters (iLe & Mon Laferte)

Field 5: Tropical

Best salsa album

Catarsis, Daniela Darcourt

Voy A Ti, Luis Figueroa

Cambios, Willy García

WINNER: Niche Sinfónico, Grupo Niche y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia

Tierra y Libertad, Plena79 Salsa Orchestra Featuring Alain Pérez y Jeremy Bosch

Debut y Segunda Tanda (Deluxe), Gilberto Santa Rosa

Best cumbia/vallenato album

Leandro Díaz Special Edition, Silvestre Dangond

El Favor De Dios, Ana Del Castillo

Cumbia Del Corazón, Los Ángeles Azules

Hombre Absurdo, Gregorio Uribe

Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así, Carlos Vives

Best merengue/bachata album

Cuatro26, Manny Cruz

Road Trip, Manny Manuel

Trópico, Vol. 2, Pavel Núñez

Fórmula, Vol. 3, Romeo Santos

A Mi Manera, Sergio Vargas

Best traditional tropical album

Tierra, Songs By Cuban Women, Estrella Acosta

Y Sigo Pa’lante, El Septeto Santiaguero

Tour Sinfónico En Vivo Auditorio Nacional, La Sonora Santanera

Danzoneando (En Vivo Desde Matanzas), Orquesta Failde

WINNER: Vida, Omara Portuondo

En Tiempo De Son… Homenaje A Las Canciones De: Jorge Luis Piloto, Septeto Acarey De Reynier Pérez

Best contemporary tropical album

Contigo, Mike Bahía

5:10 am, Luis Fernando Borjas

Intruso, Silvestre Dangond

24/7, Gusi

Otro Color, Ilegales

Best tropical song

“Ambulancia,” Édgar Barrera, Camila Cabello, Camilo & Juan Morelli, songwriters (Camilo & Camila Cabello)

“Día De Luz [80 Aniversario],” Pablo Milanés, songwriter (Pablo Milanés Featuring Juanes)

“El Merengue,” Edgar Barrera, Nico Cotton, Gale, Marshmello, Miguel Andres Martinez Perea, Juan Diego Medina Vélez, Julián Turizo Zapata & Manuel Turizo, songwriters (Marshmello & Manuel Turizo)

“La Fórmula,” Marc Anthony, Edgar Barrera, René David Cano Ríos, Sergio George, Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño, Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra, Maluma & Justin Rafael Quiles, songwriters (Maluma & Marc Anthony)

“Que Me Quedes Tú,” Techy Fatule, songwriter (Techy Fatule)

“Si Tú Me Quieres,” Fonseca, Yadam González & Yoel Henríquez, songwriters (Fonseca & Juan Luis Guerra)

Field 6: Singer-Songwriter

Best singer-songwriter album

Nueve, Santiago Cruz

Los Mejores Años, Joaquina

De Todas Las Flores, Natalia Lafourcade

Tierra De Promesas, Maréh

El Equilibrista, Juan Carlos Pérez Soto

Best singer-songwriter song

“De Todas Las Flores,” Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade)

“La Raíz,” Valeria Castro, songwriter (Valeria Castro)

“1.200 Kilómetros,” Santiago Cruz, songwriter (Santiago Cruz)

“Si Me Matan,” Silvana Estrada, songwriter (Silvana Estrada)

“Tu Historia, La Mía y La Verdad,” Juan Carlos Pérez Soto, songwriter (Juan Carlos Pérez Soto)

Field 7: Regional-Mexican

Best ranchero/mariachi album

Se Canta Con El Corazón (Deluxe), Majo Aguilar

Bordado A Mano, Ana Bárbara

Sólo Muere Si Se Olvida, Adriel Favela

Herederos, Mariachi Herencia De México

Forajido EP2, Christian Nodal

Best banda album

De Hoy En Adelante, Que Te Vaya Bien, Julión Álvarez y Su Norteño Banda

Hecho En México… Mágico, Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga

Punto y Aparte, Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga

Una Copa Por Cada Reina (Deluxe), Nathan Galante

1500 Pedas, La Adictiva

Prefiero Estar Contigo (Deluxe), La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De René Camacho

Best Tejano album

Sin Fin, Gary Hobbs

El Patrón, Jay Perez

Súper Héroes De Blanco, Proyecto Insomnio

Para Empezar A Amar, Juan Treviño

Ganas, Vilax

Best Norteño album

Aclarando La Mente, Joss Favela

Family & Friends, La Abuela Irma Silva

Fuera De Serie, La Energía Norteña

Colmillo De Leche, Carin León

Hay Niveles (Deluxe), Los Rieleros Del Norte

Best regional song

“Aclarando La Mente,” Joss Favela, songwriter (Joss Favela)

“Alaska,” Edgar Barrera & Camilo, songwriters (Camilo & Grupo Firme)

“Ella Baila Sola,” Pedro Julian Tovar Oceguera, songwriter (Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma)

“La Siguiente,” Edgar Barrera, Kany García, Richi López & Christian Nodal, songwriters (Kany García Featuring Christian Nodal)

“un X100to,” Bad Bunny, Edgar Barrera, Andrés Jael Correa Rios & Mag, songwriters (Grupo Frontera Featuring Bad Bunny)

Field 8: Instrumental

Best instrumental album

Tres, Renesito Avich

Choro Negro, Cristovão Bastos e Mauro Senise

Brooklyn-Cumaná, Jorge Glem y Sam Reider

The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute. Ritmo, Adda Simfònica, Josep Vicent & Emilio Solla

Made In Miami, Camilo Valencia & Richard Bravo

Romance Al Campesino Porteño, Miguel Zenón, José A. Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn

Field 9: Traditional

Best folk album

Epifanías, Susana Baca

Aguajes De Mar y Manglar, Cantares Del Pacífico

WINNER: Camino Al Sol, Vicente García

Mamá Cumbé, Tato Marenco

El Trébol Agorero, Homenaje A Luis Antonio Calvo, Quinteto Leopoldo Federico

Ayvu, Tierra Adentro

Best tango album

Retrato Del Aire, Pablo Jaurena

Operation Tango, Quinteto Astor Piazzolla

Reencuentro, Susana Rinaldi & Osvaldo Piro

Ahora, Romo – Agri – Messiez Tango Trio

Argentinxs, Tanghetto

Best flamenco album

Pura Sangre, Israel Fernández

Por La Tangente, Diego Guerrero

Quejíos De Un Maleante, Omar Montes

Camino, Niña Pastori

Prohibido El Toque, Juanfe Pérez

Field 10: Jazz

Best Latin jazz/jazz Album

Unánime, Roxana Amed

Flying Chicken, Hamilton De Holanda Featuring Thiago Rabello & Salomão Soares

Bembé, Iván “Melon” Lewis & The Cuban Swing Express

Semblanzas, William Maestre Big Band

I Missed You Too!, Chucho Valdés & Paquito D’Rivera (with Reunion Sextet)

Field 11: Christian

Best Christian album (Spanish language)

Fuego & Poder (Live), Barak

Vida, Alex Campos

El Vallenato Se Hizo En El Cielo, Gilberto Daza & Sergio Luis Rodríguez

Hazme Caminar, Jesús Israel

El Cielo Aún Espera, Jesús Adrian Romero

Lo Que Vemos, Marcos Vidal

Best Portuguese language Christian album

30 Anos – Vol 1, Aline Barros

Novo Tempo, Casa Worship

Único, Fernandinho

Preto No Branco Vertical, Preto No Branco

WINNER: Nós, Eli Soares

Field 12: Portugese language

Best Portuguese language contemporary pop album

Bryan Behr Ao Vivo Em São Paulo, Bryan Behr

WINNER: Em Nome da Estrela, Xênia França

Hodari, Hodari

Quintal, Melim

As Palavras, Vol. 1 & 2, Rubel

Best Portuguese language rock or alternative album

Não Me Espere Na Estação, Lô Borges

Jardineiros, Planet Hemp

Meu Esquema, Rachel Reis

Habilidades Extraordinárias, Tulipa Ruiz

Olho Furta-Cor, Titás

Best Portuguese language urban performance

“Da Favela Pro Asfalto,” Àttøøxxá & Carlinhos Brown

“Aviso De Amigo,” GIULIA BE

“Fé,” Iza

“Distopia,” Planet Hemp Featuring Criolo

“Good Vibe,” Filipe Ret, Dallass, Caio Luccas

Best Samba/Pagode album

Negra Ópera, Martinho Da Vila

Resenha Do Mumu, Mumuzinho

Desse Jeito, Maria Rita

Sambasá, Roberta Sá

Meu Nome É Thiago André (Ao Vivo), Thiaguinho

Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) album

Mil Coisas Invisíveis, Tim Bernardes

Vem Doce, Vanessa da Mata

D, Djavan

Serotonina, João Donato

Daramô, Tiago Iorc

Best Sertaneja music album

Ao Vivo no Radio City Music Hall Nova Iorque, Chitãozinho & Xororó

Daniel 40 Anos Celebra João Paulo & Daniel, Daniel

É Simples Assim (Ao Vivo), Jorge & Mateus

WINNER: Decretos Reais, Marília Mendonça

Raiz, Lauana Prado

Best Portuguese language roots album

WINNER: TecnoShow, Gaby Amarantos

Portuguesa, Carminho

Raiz, João Gomes

Elba Ramalho No Maior São João Do Mundo, Elba Ramalho

Do Amanha Nada Sei, Almir Sater

Erva Doce, Gabriel Sater

Best Portuguese language song

“Algoritmo Íntimo,” Arnaldo Antunes, Criolo, Gabrieu, Keviin & Marcia Xavier, songwriters (Criolo, Ney Matogrosso)

“Do Acaso,” Ronaldo Bastos & Chico César, songwriters (Alice Caymmi Featuring Chico César)

“Num Mundo De Paz,” Djavan, songwriter (Djavan)

“Que Tal um Samba?”, Chico Buarque, songwriter (Chico Buarque Featuring Hamilton de Holanda)

WINNER: “Tudo O Que A Fé Pode Tocar,” Tiago Iorc & Duda Rodrigues, songwriters (Tiago Iorc)

Field 13: Children’s

Best Latin children’s album

Aventuras, Flor Bromley

Vamos Al Zoo, Danilo & Chapis

Cantando Juntos, Gaby Moreno & Zona Neon

Colcha De Retazos, María Mulata

¿Y Si Pido Que Me Cuentes?, Veleta Roja

Field 14: Classical

Best classical album

Afro-Cuban Dances, Kristhyan Benitez; Jon Feidner, album producer

Albéniz & Granados Piano Works, Luis López; Luis López, conductor; Fernando Ortí Salvador, album producer

Cantata Negra, Marvin Camacho & UCR Coral; Didier Mora, conductor; Marvin Camacho Villegas & Jorge Castro Ruiz, album producers

Estirpe, Pacho Flores; Carlos Miguel Prieto, conductor; Ingo Petry, album producer (Orquesta Sinfónica De Minería)

WINNER: Huáscar Barradas Four Elements Immersive Symphony For Orchestra And Chorus, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra; Ollantay Velasquez, conductor; Huascar Barradas, Maria Cardemas, Eugenio Carreño & Eduardo Martinez Planas, album producers

Best classical contemporary composition

“Aroma A Distancia (Live from Paliesius, Lithuania),” Gonzalo Grau, composer (Brooklyn Rider)

WINNER: “Concerto Venezolano,” Paquito D’Rivera, composer (Pacho Flores Featuring Paquito D’Rivera)

“Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bandoneon, III. Aboriginal,” JP Jofre, composer (JP Jofre and Seunghee Lee)

“Lucha Libre!,” Juan Pablo Contreras, composer (Juan Pablo Contreras)

“Suite de los Buenos Aires para Piano y Flauta,” Claudia Montero, composer (Natalia González Figueroa and Tanja Esther Von Arx)

Field 15: Arranging

Best arrangement

“Waltz Of The Flowers,” Joe McCarthy & Vince Norman, arrangers (Joe McCarthy’s New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band)

“Com Que Voz,” John Beasley & Maria Mendes, arrangers (Maria Mendes Featuring Metropole Orkest & John Beasley)

“Songo Bop,” Rafael Valencia, arranger (Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo Featuring Milton Salcedo)

“Crónicas Latinoamericanas,” Daniel Freiberg, arranger (Varios Artistas)

“Spain,” Emilio Solla, arranger (Varios Artistas)

Field 16: Recording Package

Best recording package

Atipanakuy (Deluxe), Gustavo Ramirez, art director (Kayfex)

Hotel Miranda!, Alejandro Ros, art director (Miranda!)

Nocturna, Alejandro Ros, art director (Javiera Mena)

Placeres y Pecados, Pedro Chico, art director (Vanesa Martín)

Trinchera Avanzada, Alejandro Ros, art director (Babasónicos)

Field 17: Songwriter

Songwriter of the year

WINNER: Edgar Barrera

Kevyn Mauricio Cruz

Felipe González Abad

Manuel Lorente Freire

Horacio Palencia

Elena Rose

Field 18: Production

Best engineered album

Canto A La Imaginación, Érico Moreira, engineer; Érico Moreira, mixer; Felipe Tichauer, mastering engineer (Marina Tuset)

Daramô, Bruno Giorgi, mixer; Randy Merril, mastering engineer (Tiago Iorc)

Depois Do Fim, Túlio Airold, Victor Amaral & Pedro Peixoto, engineers; João Milliet & Pedro Peixoto, mixers; Fili Filizzola, mastering engineer (Lagum)

Octet And Originals, Roger Freret, engineer; Marcelo Saboia, mixer; Andre Dias, mastering engineer (Antonio Adolfo)

Quietude, Rodrigo de Castro Lopes, engineer; Pete Karam, mixer; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Eliane Elias)

Solar, Thiago Baggio, engineer; Thiago Monteiro, mixer; Thiago Monteiro, mastering engineer (Vanessa Moreno)

Producer of the year

Edgar Barrera

Bizarrap

Eduardo Cabra

Nico Cotton

Julio Reyes Copello

Marcos Sánchez

Field 19: Music Video

Best short form music video

“Podcast/Pedra Memória”, Kayode; Gabriel Avelar & Beto Galloni, video directors; Hugo Castelo Branco, Bruna Fernandes, André Cozman Ganut, Kozmos, Paladino, Regis Ramos & Yalla Rec, video producers

“Fixação”, Luthuly Featuring Nave; Pedro Fiorillo & Jesus Mendes, video directors; Alcino Algarrao, Alcino Araujo, Ricardo Estevam, Paulo Miguez & Pamela Taby, video producers

“Estás Buenísimo”, Nathy Peluso; Félix Bollaín & Rogelio González, video directors; María Rubio, video producer

“No Quiero Ser Un Cantante”, Sen Senra; Torso, video director; Cap Dept, video producer

“Descartable”, Wos; Tomas Curland & Rafael Nir, video directors; Mariano Jaureguiberry, Abril Neistadt, Rafael Nir & Diego Ríos, video producers

Best long form music video

Camilo: El Primer Tour De Mi Vida, Camilo; Camilo & Camilo Ríos, video directors; Mauricio Ríos, video producer

Donde Machi – Album Completo, Dawer X Damper; Ivan Vernaza, video director; Alejandro Velasco Ochoa, video producer

Fanm Zetwal, Una Historia De Vida Y Milagros, Fanm Zetwal; Claudia Hernández Romero, video director; Francisco Núñez, video producer

Universo K23, Kenia Os; Flakka, video director; Compostela Films & Art, video producer

Patria Y Vida: The Power Of Music, Varios Artistas; Beatriz Luengo, video director; Michael Fux, Beatriz Luengo, Gloria Rubin & Yotuel, video producers

Janelle Monáe to Receive Spirit of Soul Award at 2023 Soul Train Awards

BET announced on Thursday (Nov. 16) that Janelle Monáe will receive the Spirit of Soul award at the 2023 Soul Train Awards, which premieres Sunday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and BET Her. The show tweaked the name of its Lady of Soul award, which it has presented since 2015, “to honor the diversity and inclusivity of this year’s recipient.”

Monáe came out as non-binary in April 2022 on Red Table Talk saying, “I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely … I feel like god is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ And if I am from God, I am everything.”

“Janelle is one of the most talented forces in the entertainment industry, and an equally impactful change agent for Black LGBTQIA+ people to see themselves fully reflected across platforms,” Connie Orlando, evp specials, music programming & music strategy, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to honor Janelle’s talents on soul music’s biggest stage, Soul Train Awards. Janelle’s captivating sound is as multifaceted as Janelle’s many other talents within film, business, and social impact. BET is where Black Pride lives onscreen. We look forward to honoring this dynamic individual with the newly named ‘Spirit of Soul’ award as we continue to create inclusive spaces for diverse voices to be seen, heard, and celebrated.”

Previous recipients of the Lady of Soul award at the Soul Train Awards are Jill Scott (2015), Brandy (2016), SWV (2017), Faith Evans (2018), Yolanda Adams (2019), Moncia (2020), Ashanti (2021) and Xscape (2022).

BET Soul will dedicate a full hour to Monáe’s music videos on Friday Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET. Fans are advised to check local listings.

Keke Palmer, who has described herself as sexually fluid, will host the 2023 Soul Train Awards.  In February 2017, during an interview on The Wendy Williams Show, Palmer said, in part, “Love is defined by the individual, and what I feel today is not what I necessarily may feel five years from now. I don’t want to limit myself to one feeling or one idea of anything.”

Palmer is also set to perform on the show, along with BJ The Chicago Kid, Coco Jones, Dante Bowe, Fridayy, Muni Long and SWV. The show is taping in Los Angeles. Summer Walker, SZA and Usher are the leading nominees, with nine nods each.

Orlando will oversee the annual show and executive produce for BET with Jamal Noisette, executive producer, vp, specials & music programming. Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, will serve as executive producer along with Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon.

Monáe is nominated for two Grammy Awards this year – album of the year and best progressive R&B album for The Age of Pleasure. This is the artist’s second nod for album of the year. Monáe is a 10-time Grammy nominee, though the artist has yet to win. The awards will be presented on Feb. 4, 2024 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Lil Uzi Vert Replaced By Future & Metro Boomin For Rolling Loud California

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Future And Friends

Source: Prince Williams / Getty

After Lil Uzi Vert disputed being part of the Rolling Loud lineup, they’ve been replaced by not one but two acts – Future and Metro Boomin.

The release of the lineup for Rolling Loud California was announced on Tuesday (November 14), and it featured a slew of top musical artists with Post Malone and Nicki Minaj revealed as headliners of the weekend festival along with Lil Uzi Vert supposedly performing on that Saturday. But shortly after the artwork was launched, the singer and rapper went on social media to dispute that appearance. “I never said I was doing rolling loud. Don’t understand why my name is on here,” they wrote in a post to their Instagram stories showing the flyer.

Festival organizers apparently took note of Lil Uzi Vert’s statement and promptly re-issued a new image of the full festival lineup with two notable changes on Wednesday (November 15). The first was the blurring out of Lil Uzi Vert’s name on the festival artwork in a new post to X, formerly Twitter which simply carried the caption, “OK bet” with the okay sign emoji. The second was the announcement of Future and Metro Boomin’s appearance at the festival. Rolling Loud also sent out another post boosting the duo’s upcoming album which will be released before the festival takes place.

Lil Uzi Vert is currently on tour for their most recent album, Pink Tape. The tour is slated to end on November 22 in the artist’s hometown of Philadelphia. Rolling Loud California will be held at the Hollywood Park Grounds venue in Inglewood, California on March 15 – 17. The festival also features other prominent performances from Rae Sremmurd, Summer Walker, YG & Tyga, and more. Presale tickets for the event were made available to the public on Thursday (November 16) at 10 A.M. PT, with general sales beginning on Friday (November 17) at 10 AM PT. More information can be found on their website.

Marvel Drops Teaser Trailer For ‘What If…?’ 2nd Season

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What If... Marvel

Source: Marvel / Disney+

Though fans remained divided on how good and bad Disney+’s Marvel spinoff shows have been over the last few years (Loki is considered the best of them all), everyone agrees that Marvel’s animated What If…? series was top tier. On Wednesday (Nov. 15), we were blessed with a teaser trailer for the upcoming second season to the fan-favorite series.

Though the titles to the nine-episode series haven’t been revealed, it seems like it will be picking up where the first season left off as The Watcher (Jeffery Wright) will once again be traveling the multiverse and peeking in on various realities in which some of our favorite superheroes find themselves in much different circumstances than we’re used to seeing them in. From seeing Iron Man on a new world alongside Gamora and Valkyrie to revisiting the mystical land of Ta Lo that we were introduced to in Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, the trailer to Season 2 of What If…? promises some pretty bold adventures that we were not expecting.

An interesting little tidbit that fans will immediately notice is that someone new is voicing the Black Panther in this series, and it isn’t Letitia Wright’s Shuri that took over the mantle in Wakanda Forever. Could Marvel have already chosen a new actor to take over the role in future projects, or will this just be for the animated series? We’ll have to wait and see as the name of said actor hasn’t been revealed.

Check out the trailer for Marvel’s What If…? below, and let us know if you’ll be tuning in when it premiers on Disney+ on Dec. 22.



They Said the Album Was Dying. They Were Wrong

In September, the singer-songwriter Zach Bryan scored his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. He chose not to put out any singles to hype up Zach Bryan in the weeks leading up to its release. “We decided we weren’t dropping any singles for this album because it’s a cohesive project, and that’s the way it needs to be viewed,” says Stefan Max, Bryan’s co-manager and a former major-label A&R executive.

Bryan scored a Billboard Hot 100 hit anyway — “I Remember Everything,” his collaboration with Kacey Musgraves, debuted at No. 1 — but that was just the cherry on top of a winning rollout. “I don’t know how many albums I’ve made at major labels over the last 15 years that have gone on to be incredible, but the label would delay its release because they’re like, ‘We need a big single,’ ” Max explains. “Everything was so singles-driven. Now we’re like, ‘Do we have a good album?’ Then we can build our campaign around that.”

For much of the 21st century, the music industry narrative has been that the album is dying. First came the MP3, which allowed fans to cherry-pick their favorite songs to download. Then came the rise of streaming services, which meant that fans didn’t even have to download music to assemble their personal playlists. They were followed by TikTok, which can transform scraps of songs into hits before they are even finished — rendering a whole three-minute track superfluous and making an album feel like an unnecessary extravagance.

Looking around the pop music landscape today, though, it’s hard to find an artist who is having sustained impact solely on the strength of hit singles. Bryan, Rod Wave, Taylor Swift and Peso Pluma have all commanded attention and chart achievements by releasing albums that listeners engage with from start to finish and return to week after week.

“Albums feel really significant right now,” one senior label executive says. “It’s what a lot of people talk about. It’s what is really driving a lot of discovery.”

In truth, the demise-of-albums lament was probably exaggerated in the first place. That conversation “was always overdone,” says Jeff Vaughn, founder and CEO of Signal Records. “The album represents a definitive artistic statement, and I think fans crave it.”

“We are in an era where individual pieces of music get exposed more readily and more easily than an entire body of work, which speaks to why people think of this as a singles era,” adds Jonathan Tanners, who manages production duo Take a Daytrip and rapper TOBi, among others. Despite that perception, Tanners continues, “We, as an audience, still have a deep reverence for boldness of vision. If you are reaching the [Mount] Rushmore of artistic and commercial heights, you’re making great albums.”

Still, few would deny that the industry was extraordinarily singles-minded in the early years of TikTok, which really took hold in 2019 and 2020. Executives now speak about that era as if emerging from a long hangover. “The period we just went through created a bit of an emptiness that allowed fewer true artists to be seen because labels were following the viral hits,” says Scott Cutler, a songwriter and CEO of Pulse Music Group, which operates a publishing company as well as a recently launched label operation. “Kids burn through those viral songs really fast.”

Signing the artists behind a lot of those viral tracks was not a successful long-term business proposition for many labels. “If somebody’s playing basketball and they make an incredible half-court shot, an NBA scout’s not like, ‘You’re the next LeBron James!’ ” says Jeremy Maciak, a manager and former major-label A&R executive. “That’s what was happening.” Few of the artists who got deals from viral singles were able to repeat the feat.

Backlash to viral-single fever isn’t the only factor boosting the album’s status. The return of the vinyl LP as a commercial tool is also helping. Vinyl sales have grown steadily for 17 years, but jumped by a stunning 46% in 2020 and 51% in 2021, according to Luminate. The increased prevalence of vinyl records can’t help but reinforce the idea that an entire collection of songs represents something significant and worth shelling out $20 to $30.

Luminate determined that 50% of LP buyers don’t have a turntable, which underlines this point even further. They see value in owning an album they can’t even play. Travis Scott’s Utopia is one of the year’s top sellers, boosted by more than 340,000 album sales, without an enduring hit single. Lana Del Rey hasn’t had a top 40 hit as an unaccompanied solo artist in nearly a decade, but she has sold over 500,000 vinyl LPs and more than 145,000 CDs this year.

Vinyl releases aren’t necessary to build an audience devoted to albums, though. Rising rapper Yeat has amassed more than 1.8 billion streams this year, according to Luminate; he doesn’t have a single top 40 hit as a soloist, yet his fans press play on his releases and just keep listening.

Another artist with an impressively dedicated following among music streamers is the rapper Rod Wave, who recently eked out a narrow victory over Doja Cat to spend a second week atop the Billboard 200 with Nostalgia — his third straight No. 1 album. That week, Rod Wave’s biggest single was at No. 33 on the Hot 100, while Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red” was No. 1, demonstrating that a big hit may not be enough to send an album to the top.

In this environment, a new term is becoming more and more popular: “world-building,” industry jargon meaning that, for an artist to be successful, listeners need to care about something beyond a 15-second snippet of music on social media. “I don’t think the difference is between people who make albums and people who make singles,” Tanners says. “The difference is between people who have the vision to create unified worlds and people who are either not interested in that or not capable of that.”

“People want to invest in artists who are building their own worlds,” says Ashley Calhoun, president of Pulse Music Group. “There is a real appetite for that coming back around.”

And albums are more conducive to that world-building process, Vaughn notes. “It’s very difficult to do that just around a single,” he says. “Around a more complete artistic statement, all of a sudden the cover art is special, there are experiential events you can do, there are partnerships with brands. You can actually telegraph: ‘This is coming, here’s why it’s important,’ and that’s how you take the next step.”

It’s not lost on music executives how old-fashioned this sounds. Much of the industry bent itself out of shape trying to get singles to pop on TikTok because it seemed like a cheat code — overnight virality as a substitute for the yearslong, painstaking work of building a fan base. But after all those contortions, many of the same old principles still apply.

“Great artists always move albums and move tickets,” Vaughn says. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

Apple Music Has Been Penalizing Streaming Fraud Since 2022

While Spotify is planning to start penalizing labels and distributors for egregious instances of streaming fraud, Apple Music quietly rolled out its own strengthened fraud protections — including hitting repeat offenders with “financial adjustments” — more than a year ago, according to an email obtained by Billboard that the platform sent to music industry partners in March. Apple Music’s internal metrics indicate that the policy has already led to a 30% drop in streaming manipulation.

In the March email, the streamer defines manipulation as “the deliberate, artificial creation of plays for royalty, chart, and popularity purposes” as well as “the delivery of deceptive or manipulative content, like an album of 31-second songs.” “In October [2022], we launched new tools and policies designed to prevent stream manipulation on Apple Music,” the email explains. “Since we launched the new tools, manipulated streams have accounted for only 0.3 percent of all streams.” 

That 0.3 percent figure is lower than the stats cited by some of Apple Music’s rivals. A Spotify spokesperson told a Swedish newspaper earlier this year that “less than one percent of all streams on Spotify have been determined to be tampered with,” while Deezer has said that it finds 7% of plays to be fraudulent. (This comparison only goes so far, though, because each service might define fraud differently, and not all of them have ad-supported tiers.) 

In a statement, an Apple Music spokesperson said the platform “takes stream manipulation very seriously. Apple Music has a team of people dedicated to tracking and investigating any instances where manipulation is suspected. Penalties include cancellation of user accounts, removal of content, termination of distributor agreements, and financial adjustments.”

When Apple Music emailed industry partners in March, the streaming service noted that “despite the low percentage [of fraud], manipulation remains a widespread and persistent problem: That 0.3% of streams came from more than 85,000 albums across hundreds of record labels.” 

As a result, the email indicates the company outlined a sharper anti-fraud policy in October 2022, promising to take “remedial actions against content providers with repeated and significant stream manipulation.” This means of incentivizing reform has worked for some — half the distributors that were flagged for fake streaming have reduced manipulation on their content by over 45%, the company said.

To help labels and distributors figure out where fraud is occurring, Apple Music’s email says the platform started sending daily reports detailing “a content provider’s albums with streams held in review.” “After each review,” the email goes on, “we remove manipulated streams and release legitimate plays. At the end of each month, content providers also receive a report with all excluded streams.” (Spotify has now also ramped up the reporting it provides to labels and distributors, according to one executive at a distribution company, “adding a new dimension of seeing repeat offenders.”)

“This all happens before Apple Music pays royalties and tabulates charts,” the email noted. “We block wrongdoers from the primary advantages of stream manipulation and redirect royalties to valid plays of content.”

The last six months have seen a flurry of companies committing publicly to fraud mitigation. More than half a dozen distributors formed “a global task force aimed at eradicating streaming fraud” in June. And when Deezer announced a new partnership with Universal Music Group in September, Michael Nash, UMG’s executive vp and chief digital officer, promised that “fraud and gaming, which serves only to deprive artists their due compensation, will be aggressively addressed.”

Diageo Legal Battle With Sean “Diddy” Combs Will Resume In 2024

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Sean

Diageo, one of the world leaders in the adult beverages space, found itself locked into a legal battle with Sean “Diddy” Combs regarding business dealings connected to vodka and tequila brands. According to a new report, activity connected to the lawsuit filed by Combs will be moved to next year as both sides continue to state their respective claims.

As seen on Digital Music News, Diageo, which owns popular brands Johnnie Walker, Guinness, and Casamigos, was granted a stay this past Tuesday (November 14) by a panel of judges overseeing the matter. In his lawsuit, Diddy is alleging that the beverage company gave less attention to his Cîroc Vodka and DeLeón Tequila brands because of his race.

According to Combs’ legal team, their side believes the granted stay is a tactic to delay facing up to the allegations in a court of law.  

“Once the appellate court considers the actual merits, we are confident that they will reach the same conclusion as two separate judges already: that Diageo can’t avoid a public trial,” Diddy’s attorney, John Hurston, said in a statement.

The lawsuit was first enacted in May of this year with Combs stating that Diageo did not commit to its plans for diversity and inclusion and putting the brands that he helmed on the back burner because he’s Black.

In response to Combs’ claims, a spokesperson for the company wrote, “This is a business dispute, and we are saddened that Mr. Combs has chosen to recast this matter as anything other than that. Our steadfast commitment to diversity within our company and the communities we serve is something we take very seriously. We categorically deny the allegations that have been made and will vigorously defend ourselves in the appropriate forum.”

The company severed ties with Combs after filing its own countersuit which Diddy hit back with again with another lawsuit alleging that the countersuit from Diageo was “illegal retaliation.”

Combs owns and operates Combs Global, which oversees the mogul’s business interests including his wine and spirits portfolio.

Photo: Getty

The Deals: Avid Technology Acquired for $1.4B; Questlove & Black Thought Take the North Road

An affiliate of private equity firm STG completed its acquisition of Avid Technology in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.4 billion. The acquisition, previously announced on Aug. 9, was approved by Avid stockholders on Nov. 2. Under the terms of the deal, Avid stockholders will receive $27.05 per share. Avid common stock ceased trading prior to the opening of trading on Nov. 7 and will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq. Avid will operate as a privately held company and remain headquartered in Burlington, Mass. “By becoming a private company, we believe Avid will be able to achieve the speed of innovation, scale and performance required for us to continue leading the industry forward,” said Jeff Rosica, Avid’s CEO/president, in a statement. “Combined with their significant operational and financial resources, STG brings deep investment experience in the technology sector that will accelerate the achievement of Avid’s strategic vision, building on the momentum of our successful ongoing transformation achieved over the past several years.”

Global content studio The North Road Company is partnering with Two One Five Entertainment — a company co-founded by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots — after acquiring a significant stake in the company. The deal establishes creative coordination between the two companies, with North Road planning to finance future Two One Five film, TV and other creative projects to scale the company. “Although we’ve had success thus far, finding an investor and strategic partner like North Road will have an immediate impact on our business, as their superior production capabilities will help us significantly increase our output,” said Questlove in a statement. “Additionally, the capital they are committing provides us the flexibility to independently fund creative ideas, grow our executive team and truly scale the business.”

The Anaheim Ducks and Honda Center announced a partnership with The Offspring to commemorate the 30th anniversary of both the Ducks and Honda Center as well as the band’s breakthrough album, Smash. The collaboration will encompass several crossovers during the Ducks’ 30th anniversary season and beyond, including “Come Out and Play Night with The Offspring” on Feb. 9, 2024. The night will include appearances from the band — which hails from Orange County — along with limited edition and co-branded merchandise. Fans will also receive exclusive perks and rewards during Friday night games at Honda Center throughout the Ducks’ 30th anniversary season. Additionally, the band and the Ducks have teamed up to create Puck Punks: The Offspring Powerplay Hits, a limited-edition vinyl set that will go on sale in the Ducks Team Store on Feb. 9, with a number of copies signed by members of The Offspring and Ducks players to be made available. All proceeds raised will benefit the Anaheim Ducks Foundation.

Universal Music Group India and leading Indian talent management company REPRESENT struck a strategic partnership that will give the REPRESENT roster access to Universal Music Group’s global footprint across distribution, publishing, brands and more to help boost REPRESENT artists’ growth and reach worldwide. The companies will collaborate on artist development and fan engagement, among other areas. REPRESENT artists who will be distributed and supported under the partnership include Anuv Jain, MC Stan, Zaeden, Lost Stories, Yashraj, Hanita Bhambri, Akanksha Bhandari, Kamakshi Khanna, Saahel, Savera, Kayan, OAFF and Jai Dhir.

Icelandic-Chinese artist, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Laufey has extended her deal with label partner AWAL following the successful release of her album Bewitched, which debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 in September. Laufey is nominated for best traditional pop vocal album at next year’s Grammys and is in the middle of a sold-out North American tour.

GoldState Music, a new company launched last year by Charles Goldstuck that was formed to create a diversified portfolio of music copyrights and sound recordings, announced a “significant” investment and a new partnership with funds managed by Flexpoint Ford Asset Opportunities. The investment will help accelerate GoldState’s acquisition of music intellectual property assets, including full catalogs, influential copyrights, master recordings and publishing rights. As part of the deal, GoldState will source new catalog acquisitions and manage the licensing, synchronization and administration for the existing and acquired copyrights. According to a press release, in its first year of operation, GoldState acquired music rights from several artists and songwriters “spanning multiple genres, geographies, and asset types.”

The Daouda Leonard-founded music tech studio CreateSafe raised a $4.6 million seed funding round to launch TRINITI, a generative artificial intelligence music platform designed to make it easier for artists and rights holders to license and monetize their data in generative AI models while offering a platform to manage consent, credit and compensation. TRINITI was previously utilized by Grimes (Leonard’s management client) to distribute works using a cloned version of her voice to all major streaming services; according to a press release, more than 1,000 songs have been created since the project’s launch. TRINITI includes personalized AI tools with an attribution engine that can take the input of voice, sound, writing and imagery to communicate an artist’s musical and artistic vision. The funding round was led by cryptocurrency and blockchain tech investment firm Polychain Capital, with additional backing from Crush Ventures, Anthony Saleh, Paris Hilton (11:11 Media), MoonPay, Chaac Ventures, Unified Music Group and Dan Weisman (vp at Bernstein Private Wealth Management).

10K Projects struck a joint venture with Loaf Boyz Ventures, the record label of rapper Moneybagg Yo. The first release under the deal was YTB Fatt’s first mixtape, Who Is Fatt, which dropped in August. Other projects set for release under the deal include a Loaf Boyz compilation album and new music from Memphis-based rapper Kevo Money. Moneybagg Yo’s solo work will continue to be released through Yo Gotti’s CMG label. This marks the first deal for 10K since it became a standalone label within Warner Music Group.

Virgin Music Group signed a global agreement with Latin independent labels Machin and Equinoccio Records. Founded by Mexican singer, songwriter and producer Pepe Aguilar, both labels have a focus on the Regional Mexican genre. Machin Records is home to Angela Aguilar, Leonardo Aguilar and Irany & David, while Equinoccio is home to Pepe Aguilar.

Online design platform Canva launched a popular music library that will give users to access 60-second clips of commercially released songs for personal use in videos, social media posts and more through partnerships with Warner Music Group (including Warner Chappell Music and Warner Recorded Music), Merlin and more than a dozen other labels and publishers in deals announced earlier this year. Available songs include works by artists including Michael Buble, Vance Joy, Kenya Grace and Curtis Mayfield, all of whom will earn royalties when clips of their songs are used in Canva designs. The newly expanded music library is available to Canva Pro and Education subscribers, with access to small enterprises using Canva for Teams and Nonprofit users to follow, in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Music finance firm Sound Royalties announced a new “working relationship” with entertainment banker David Innes, according to a press release. Under the agreement, Innes’ new venture, On the Money Entertainment Advisory and Consulting, will support Sound Royalties “by amplifying its networking reach among music creatives and expanding its new business pipeline,” the release adds.

Spatial web technology company Cosmic Wire partnered with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to create innovative experiences for CAA clients using spatial and immersive technology. The companies will additionally work together to innovate sponsorship opportunities for corporate brands in virtual environments.

Music rights and metadata management software platform Orfium partnered with Japanese anime music company Bandai Namco Music Live. Under the deal, Orfium will manage, optimize and monetize Bandai Namco’s repertoire using its AI-based rights management software. Bandai Namco Music Live represents more than 3,000 creators and is behind such anime titles as the Love Live! series, Violet Evergarden, One-Punch Man and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

SoundCloud announced a partnership with A&R executive Randall “Sickamore” Medford, who partnered with SoundCloud on IIIXL Studio, a new Brooklyn-based enterprise that will be dedicated to signing and developing New York artists for SoundCloud’s artist development program. The first IIIXL artist-in-residence is Liim. Through the collaboration, Sickamore will connect talent with SoundCloud’s artist partnerships division, which will offer white-glove creative and marketing resources to chosen artists and their teams. A monthly New York hip-hop showcase is also forthcoming.

Also at SoundCloud, the streaming platform partnered with sleep, meditation and relaxation app Calm to introduce new mental health and wellness benefits for artists. Under the deal, SoundCloud Next and Next Pro artists will have access to exclusive offers for Calm through SoundCloud’s existing member benefits program, including free trials and 50% off Calm Premium.

Bonsai, a platform that helps recording artists engage with and monetize their superfans, announced integrations with Discord, YouTube and Instagram allowing fans to directly interact with their favorite artists. Bonsai’s core feature lets artists invite their fans to participate in “asynch AMAs,” through which fans use Bonsai to ask artists questions. Artists can then record audio responses for their fans, which are then paired with visual generative art to form a “bonsai” that gets delivered to fans via text, email and — with the new deals — Discord, Instagram and YouTube.

We Are Giant — a new platform that helps artists amplify their direct-to-fan relationships by hosting licensed listening parties for new music and unreleased demos, exclusive livestreams, interactive chat rooms with the musicians and more — formally announced its launch while announcing an $8 million funding round from investment management platform Sterling Partners. We Are Giant is led by founder/CEO Andy Apple, who previously served as an investor at VC firms Sound Ventures and Wavemaker Partners in addition to a tenure at JPMorgan. Also on the leadership team is Dan McComas (previously at Reddit), who serves as vp of products & community.

Lizzo Reveals She’s Working on Music & Herself While Healing ‘Trust Issues With the World’

Lizzo took a rare moment to be vulnerable with her followers amid her ongoing legal battle. In a recent Instagram post, the 35-year-old hitmaker opened up about her mental state and gave an update on new music, adding that she’s struggling with “trust issues” in light of the sexual harassment suit filed against her earlier this year by a group of ex backup dancers.

“Hi,” wrote the musician, sharing a bathroom mirror selfie she took in a white robe. “I’m working.. on music, myself, relationships with people and food, my anxiety, my body, my business, and my trust issues with the world..”

Lizzo also added that her trust issues are “deep now, deeper than they’ve ever been” before signing off with, “Xoxo.”

The Grammy winner’s post comes just a few weeks after her attorneys filed a motion to dismiss her former dancers’ lawsuit, calling the plaintiffs’ allegations a “fabricated sob story” launched by “opportunists” seeking “a quick payday.” The Oct. 27 request went on to argue that the lawsuit — which claimed toxic workplace conditions, sexual harassment discrimination, and fat-shaming — came from three women with “an axe to grind” who had shown “a pattern of gross misconduct and failure to perform their job up to par,” submitting statements from 18 members of Lizzo’s touring company who disputed many of the suit’s accusations.

Lizzo, who hasn’t released music since July’s “Pink” for the Barbie movie, has kept a relatively lower profile in the wake of the lawsuit, although she did proudly show off her Tina Turner and Carmen Miranda Halloween costumes on Instagram. She’s also been keeping up with her Yitty business, most recently announcing major sales for Black Friday.

See Lizzo’s post below.