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10 Nov 2023

New Music Latin: Listen to Releases From Omar Montes, Fonseca & More

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

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Fonseca, “Canto a la Vida” (Sony Music Latin)

To the sounds of vallenato, Colombian trop-pop icon Fonseca sings of good memories on the new single “Canto a la Vida.” The song is the second preview of his next album in which, as he revealed to Billboard Español during a Latin Music Week panel, he wants to pay tribute to Colombian music while rediscovering the sound of his beginnings. With clarinet, percussion, guacharaca, guitar and, of course, an accordion, Fonseca recreates a classic vallenato and distances himself from the pop sound of his most recent projects, while recounting his successes and recognizing that there is an important song that he needed to sing. “That is why today I sing to life / For the memories that are not forgotten / Let the memories live / Let the stories live / That today live in photographs,” he sings in the chorus. The accompanying video encapsulates a little piece of the essence of Colombia with its costumes, dances, instruments and other typical elements. Without a doubt, “Canto a la Vida” is a song to spread the feeling of gratitude for life and the experiences that make us who we are today. — LUISA CALLE

Santiago Cruz & TIMØ, “Golpes Contra Las Paredes” (Santiago Cruz)

Colombian singer-songwriter Santiago Cruz recruited breakout trio TIMØ – currently nominated for a best new artist at the Latin Grammys – for a new heartbreak anthem, “Golpes Contra La Pared.” Written by Cruz and produced by Juan Pablo Vega, the indie pop-rock song addresses feelings of anger and frustration when imagining what an ex is doing with a new lover. “And here I am, banging against the walls, not accepting that you were and are no longer, it is no longer our room,” goes part of the chorus. Cruz said in a press release that he sat down to write the song “expressly with the idea that it would be a collaboration” with his TIMØ countrymen. “It’s an upbeat, powerful song, with some anger, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to play live,” he added. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Banda MS ft. Gloria Trevi, “Y Que Soporten” (Lizos Music)

Banda MS is no stranger to outside-the-box collaborations, and their latest single is no exception. The band teams up with pop queen Gloria Trevi for “Y Que Soporten,” marking the first collab between the Mexican powerhouses. To the tune of a traditional-leaning banda sinaloense song — with brassy instruments leading the way — Banda MS’ Alan Ramírez and Trevi trade verses about bumping into an ex who seemingly wants to restart a failed relationship. “If my love was ever his, then let him swallow his pride, it’s going to be super hard for him to find someone to replace me,” they declare. Banda MS has most recently collaborated with Ice Cube (“¿Cuáles Fronteras?”), Yahritza y Su Esencia (“Solo Que Lo Dudes”) and Fuerza Regida (“Santo Patrón”). — GRISELDA FLORES

Omar Montes & Nicky Jam, “Oye BB” (Sony Music Latin)

In a first collaborative effort that was made possible by a tattoo artist-friend they have in common Omar Montes and Nicky Jam unleash “Oye BB.” Produced by Tunvao, Jota Rosa and Jon Leone, the song is a hard-hitting, fast-paced reggaeton beat that perfectly interlaces Montes’ dark, raspy vocals with the Puerto Rican artist’s more sugary tones. In “Oye BB,” the breakout Spanish star and Jam are trying to seek the attention of the girl they like: “I’m only asking for one percent and I’ll give you my heart,” chants Montes. The chorus is more flirtatious, where both acts sing, “Hey, baby, you smell delicious/ But you’ll be more delicious once I taste you/ Hey, baby, every weekend/ I’d do it to you better than the last so that you stay.” A music video directed by Borkinson features the two artists at a house party. — JESSICA ROIZ

Dawer x Damper, “Bochinche” ft. Miracali (Discos Fiera)

Tearing through the invigorating, scant beats informed by the sweltering vibes of Colombia’s Pacific coast, brothers Dawer x Damper arrive with “Bochinche,” featuring Miracali. Bolstered by their laid-back but assertive rap bars, the song title can be interpreted as a kind of gossip in Colombian slang — the theme around the group’s upcoming mixtape, which they announced today to arrive early 2024. “When something happens on the corner, everybody peeks out, everybody wants to know,” Dawer explains in a press release. “The neighbor, even though she’s in the kitchen making the sancocho, sticks her head out the window to find out. In this song, we talk a little about the neighborhood, about how the street behaves, how our city behaves, more so in our Aguablanca neighborhood in Cali.” The single also stars another pair of siblings, Lil Keren and Young Kali, from the group’s local scene in Cali. The Afro-Colombian duo are currently nominated for best long-form music video for their 2022 album Donde Machi. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Stream the New Music Latin playlist below:

10 Nov 2023

Marvel Pushes Back Releases Dates For ‘Deadpool 3’ & ‘Captain America 4’

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Deadpool & Wolverine

Source: @deadpoolmovie / Marvel

Looks like Marvel fans will have to wait a bit longer for both Deadpool 3 (damnit!) and Captain America 4 (oh well) due to the recent SAG-AFTRA strike that shut down Hollywood the past few months.

According to Variety, Marvel has recently updated their release date for Deadpool 3 from May 24, 2024 to July 26, 2024 while bumping Captain America 4 from July 26, 2024 to February 14, 2025 (a Valentine’s Day film?!). The news comes after SAG-AFTRA strike came to an end this week and Hollywood writers and actors can once again restart the projects that came to a screeching halt this past Summer. Now that the smoke is cleared (for now) and everyone can get back to work, production starts and release dates have been getting shuffled around as many expected they would.

Variety reports:

Beyond Marvel, Disney has also delayed its upcoming prequel to its 2019 CGI remake of “The Lion King.” “Mufasa: The Lion King,” directed by Barry Jenkins, has moved from a July 5, 2024 date to Dec. 20, 2024. Additionally, the studio has vacated two other dates — July 25, 2025 and Nov. 7, 2025 — which it had planted flags on for unspecified features.

While “Deadpool 3” still has a fair amount of production to complete, it’s notable that “Captain America: Brave New World,” which will see Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson take on the Marvel mantle, had already completed principal photography prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, though it is commonplace for Marvel productions to require additional photography. Nonetheless, it is now facing a seven-month delay. Meanwhile, “Thunderbolts” and “Blade” have yet to mount production at all.

The upside is that this will give Marvel more time to add whatever flavor necessary to make Captain America 4 more enticing to comic book fans who just aren’t feeling the production that they’ve been putting out as of late. From rumors that Roberty Downey Jr. will be making a cameo as Tony Stark in some way to word that Chris Evans will be appearing as “old man” Captain America in the film, buzz for the Anthony Mackie led film isn’t high right now. We’ll just have to wait and see if Marvel uses this pushback to their advantage.

On the bright side at least Deadpool 3 is said to be a classic in the making with the film leading the way for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Tobey McGuire’s Spider-Man to be the two lead characters for Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars.

One could only hope that turns out to be true.

10 Nov 2023

2024 Grammy Nominations: Which Snubbed Artist Should’ve Gotten Nods? Vote!

The Recording Academy announced nominations for the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards on Friday (Nov. 10), and Billboard wants to know who you think should have gotten a nomination in the Big Four categories of best new artist, and album, record and song of the year.

SZA leads with nine nods, including in the categories of album, record and song of the year. The “Snooze” singer is one of five nominees contending in those Big Three general field performance categories — the four other artists are Taylor Swift, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus and Olivia Rodrigo.

Morgan Wallen, despite scoring the biggest song (“Last Night”) and album (One Thing at a Time) of the year with 16 weeks each on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200, received zero nominations, leaving him without a nod for yet another year. Also in the country genre, Luke Combs‘ monster hit “Fast Car” — which topped the Hot 100 for two weeks and won him single of the year at the 2023 CMA Awards — went unrecognized in the general field.

History-making Latin star Karol G was also ignored in the Big Four despite having the first all-Spanish-language album by a woman to top the Billboard 200 with her Mañana Será Bonito release, which did snag a best música Mexicana album nomination. Also on the Latin music front, Peso Pluma was passed over in the best new artist category despite picking up a nod also in the best música Mexicana album (including Tejano) for his Génesis album.

Also without any noms are the solo members of BTS who released music this year. Jimin’s “Like Crazy” and Jung Kook’s “Seven” featuring Latto were eligible for record of the year, but did not receive nods.

So, who do you think deserved a nomination in the Big Four categories but didn’t get one? Vote in our poll below!

10 Nov 2023

Chris Stapleton’s ‘Higher’: Track-By-Track Album Review

During Wednesday night’s (Nov. 8) CMA Awards, Chris Stapleton further established his dominance in the male vocalist of the year category, picking up his seventh win in the past nine years. On Friday’s Grammy nominations announcement (Nov. 10), his song “White Horse” picked up a nomination for best country solo performance and best country song. Meanwhile, his collaboration with Carly Pearce, “We Don’t Fight Anymore,” earned a nod for best country duo/group performance.

Quite the way to usher in his new album, Higher, which was released on the same day.

Just eight years ago, Stapleton issued his debut solo album, 2015’s Traveller; a CMA Awards performance alongside Justin Timberlake that year introduced the world outside of Nashville to the show-stopping power of Stapleton’s voice and his swampy guitar grooves. With classic country sounds as its core tenet, that album was a mere sampling of the wider landscape of musical influences that Stapleton has explored in his subsequent four releases.

His previous album, Starting Over, had moments of looking outward, surveying the world around Stapleton on “Watch You Burn” and “Nashville, TN.” On the 14-song Higher, Stapleton largely explores variations on a succinct set of topics — love, lust and heartbreak — but his otherworldly voice, capable of both wall-shattering power and a velvety purr, gives a unique nuance to each.

Like Willie Nelson, Stapleton first found success as a writer of hits for other artists before seeing his own chart successes. Along the way, Stapleton has become a favored vocal partner for everyone from Adele and P!nk to Carly Pearce and Taylor Swift. His years fronting groups including bluesy-bluegrass outfit The SteelDrivers and rock group The Jompson Brothers have lent his headlining shows a freewheeling, jam-band feel.

Also like Nelson, Stapleton’s focus on the music, his excellence in constructing detailed stories and his uncanny ability to traverse musical landscapes have made him a timeless figure, and one that takes inspiration from a myriad of genres, as Stapleton weaves in country, soul, rock, and punk. On his new project, he also pulls in a couple of fellow singer-songwriters as co-writers, including Miranda Lambert and Carolyn Dawn Johnson.

Here, we take a track-by-track look at the songs on his new album Higher.

10 Nov 2023

Jafaican Chet Hanks Thwarts Alleged Burglary, Exchanges Blows With Home Invader

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77th Annual Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals

Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty / Chet Hanks

Shabba Hanks, oops, we mean Chet Hanks, allegedly put hands on a man trying to break into his home and relieve him of some prized possessions.

TMZ exclusively reports that the notorious Jafaican and son of Tom Hanks went “toe-to-toe” with a burglar, thwarting a robbery attempt on his home.

Per TMZ:

A law enforcement sources tell us … before authorities arrived early Monday morning, Tom Hanks’ son punched the 42-year-old suspect after finding him attempting to break in around 3:00 AM. When L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies got on scene they tried to slap cuffs on the man, but he kept fighting.

The celebrity gossip site also reports one of the officers responding to the attempted burglary was severely injured, suffering a broken leg when the robber fell backward onto one of the deputies’ legs, breaking it as they attempted to subdue by putting him in cuffs.

What an unfortunate break.

Both Chet Hanks and the robber were taken to a nearby hospital, where they were both examined. The suspect was booked after he was medically cleared, while Hanks walked away from the incident unscathed.

TMZ reports the case will be sent to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office for filing considerations.

Chet Hanks History of Mess

The last time we saw or heard from Hanks was on an episode of the now-canceled show Ziwe, where he was grilled on his use of Patois and asked if he wanted to apologize to the Patois community.

“Nah. I don’t feel like I’ve truly done anything offensive, so I don’t,” he told Ziwe.

Back in March 2021, Chet Hanks was accused of domestic violence by his ex, Kiana Parker. He eventually filed a lawsuit against Parker, claiming she stole his property and racked up thousands of dollars worth of debt on his credit card.

—

Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty

10 Nov 2023

Publishing Briefs: Gunna Sticks With Kobalt, BMG Signs Daniel Johns of Silverchair

Kobalt has extended its worldwide publishing deal with rap superstar Gunna. The agreement includes global synch and creative services for all of Gunna’s catalog as well as future works. “Gunna is a superstar, plain and simple,” says Kobalt CEO Laurent Hubert. “It’s been incredible to see him attain these musical achievements while at Kobalt. We are honored to continue our partnership with Gunna and his team and look forward to supporting their efforts.”

BMG has signed a publishing deal with Daniel Johns, encompassing his entire Silverchair catalog. The worldwide deal immediately includes all of Johns’ publishing interests on his sophomore solo album FutureNever, and it will eventually include his catalogue of global hits including “Straight Lines,” “The Greatest View,” “Ana’s Song,” “Freak,” “Tomorrow” and many others reverting into the deal in 2025.

Warner Chappell Music and Madfun Entertainment have extended their publishing agreement with Matt Jenkins and have purchased Jenkins’ back catalog of music. This includes songs like “Happy Anywhere” by Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis ft. Luke Bryan, and more.

Reservoir has announced a new deal with Grammy-winning country songwriter/producer/engineer Brent Maher. The company’s relationship with Maher began in 2018 when it acquired rights to Maher’s full catalog, and now it will also be involved in his future works as well. over the course of his career, Maher has worked on a slew of hits, including songs recorded by The Judds, Tanya Tucker, Dottie West, Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, and more.

Warner Chappell Music has signed rising country trio The Castellows. Comprised of Ellie, Powell and Lily, the band recently signed a record deal with Warner Records and Warner Music Nashville and released their debut song “No. 7 Road.”

Budde Music and Karma Songs have extended their publishing deal with Nick Bradley, a London-based songwriter who has written songs with James Blunt, Bow Anderson, Røry, Matteo Bocelli, Don Diablo, You Me At Six, Maneskin, Kelvin Jones, NCT 127 and Flux Pavilion.

Warner Chappell Music has renewed its publishing deal with multi-platinum songwriter Rick Boardman. His credits include songs with Marshmello, Jonas Brothers, Khalid, Bebe Rexha, Louis Tomlinson, Clean Bandit, and Jess Glynne.

Universal Music Publishing Group has signed a global publishing deal with Mexican singer-songwriter Carin Leon. He’s known best for his Latin Grammy-winning song “Como Lo Hice Yo,” but he also has a slew of other popular songs, including “Ni me debes ni te debo,” “Te lo agradezco,” “Me haces tan bien,” and more.

Concord Music Publishing has signed Nashville-based songwriter and producer Aaron Eshuis. The worldwide co-publishing deal is effective immediately and also includes a selection of his existing catalog and all future works. His catalog includes cuts with Scotty McCreery, Rascal Flatts, Joe Nichols, A Thousand Horses, Catie Offerman, Kameron Marlowe, Corey Kent, Cole Swindell, Kylie Morgan, Meghan Patrick, and Mason Ramsey.

Position Music has signed producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alex Wilke to a worldwide publishing deal. So far, the rising hitmaker has worked on songs with Maddie Zahm, Leah Kate, Lexi Jayde, Jake Miller and more.

10 Nov 2023

Swifties Thank Travis Kelce for Taylor Swift Performing ‘Labyrinth’ on Eras Tour

Oh no, she’s falling in love again … or so it seems. Taylor Swift picked up right where she left off on the Eras Tour with her first of three shows in Argentina Thursday night (Nov. 9), returning to her nightly routine of singing two surprise songs — one of which brought Travis Kelce to mind for many fans.

After performing “The Very First Night” on guitar, the 33-year-old pop star moved over to her piano for an enchanting acoustic rendering of “Labyrinth,” a Midnights deep cut known for its vulnerable lyrics and trumpeting synth waves. After videos of the song popped up online, Swifties were quick to note that Swift seemed particularly smiley while singing the hook, “Uh oh, I’m falling in love/ Oh no, I’m falling in love again.”

Many wondered whether a certain Kansas City Chiefs tight end had anything to do with Swift’s demeanor, while others were under the impression that they don’t have to wonder at all. “TRAVIS KELCE I ADORE YOU FOR THIS,” tweeted one fan who shared a clip of the “Anti-Hero” singer’s performance.

“MY GIRL IS SMITTEN,” wrote another. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TRAVIS KELCE.”

Swift has been linked to Kelce since September, when the 12-time Grammy winner first attended one of the athlete’s games at Arrowhead Stadium. She’s gone to several more in the months since, and the two have been spotted holding hands on a few occasions (most notably as they departed Saturday Night Live after both made surprise cameos).

After she wraps up in Argentina, Swift will move on to Brazil, Japan, Australia and Singapore. From there, she’ll take her blockbuster trek through Europe and Canada.

See the best reactions to Swift’s “Labyrinth” performance below:

10 Nov 2023

Jung Kook Surprises ARMY With Concert in Times Square: See the Photos

The Golden Maknae of BTS just keeps on shining. On Thursday (Nov. 9), Jung Kook graced the TSX Entertainment stage in New York City for a surprise performance of several songs off his brand new debut solo album, Golden.

The first permanent stage in Times Square, the TSX stage saw electrifying renditions of Golden singles “Seven” (with Latto) and “3D” (with Jack Harlow), both of which hit the top five of the Billboard Hot 100, with the former peaking at No. 1. During his performance of “3D,” Jung Kook delivered his entire rap verse and interacted with the crowd as the track played Harlow’s guest verse. The BTS star performed full choreography for both “Seven” and “3D,” as well as “Standing Next to You,” which was recently treated to a Michael Jackson-inspired music video. While powering through “Standing Next to You,” Jung Kook took a moment to pause and listen to the crowd go wild for him.

Non-NYC fans were able to tune into the free event on Xbox‘s Twitch channel. “ARMY, please don’t change,” he urged the crowd, speaking to those in person and those tuning in online all over the world. Those same fans were a driving force in the massive success of Golden’s singles — particularly “Seven,” which recently became the fastest song to reach one billion streams in Spotify history. Golden also features production and writing contributions from Major Lazer, DJ Snake, Ed Sheeran and Shawn Mendes.

“We are honored to co-create this historic moment for Jung Kook and the entire BTS group. His solo journey has already made history with multiple chart-topping singles, and we’re fully confident that this album will continue the trend,” said Nick Holmsten, TSX Entertainment co-CEO, in a statement. “This marks a pivotal moment in music, particularly for K-pop fans, and holds great significance for both Times Square and New York City.”

Check out photos of Jung Kook’s surprise concert below.

Additional reporting by Rylee Johnston.

10 Nov 2023

Netflix Releases New ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Trailer

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The Last Airbender

Source: Netflix / Netflix

It’s been more than a decade since M. Night Shyamalan’s Avatar: The Last Airbender film bombed big time at the box office and had fans of the anime cursing his name to the heavens. But it seems like Netflix might be able to right the wrong that M. Night’s 2010 “epic” left in its wake.

On Thursday (Nov. 9), fans got their first peak at Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series and are already praising what seems to be guaranteed redemption for the cult classic animated series. Starring Gordon Cormier as Aang, Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, the trailer takes viewers into the world in which a young Aang (the Avatar) hones his skills of mastering the four elements of Water, Earth, Fire, Air and help restore balance to the world which is under attack by The Fire Nation led by Lord Ozai.

Though the trailer is only two minutes long and doesn’t offer much in plot details or storylines (none is really needed if you’re familiar with the OG animated series), this alone is already head and shoulders above what M. Night Struggle gave us back in 2010. If the internet was as heartless back then as it is now, that man would’ve been living in fear. Just sayin.’

Check out the trailer for Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender below and let us know if you’ll be tuning in when it premiers on February 22, 2024.



10 Nov 2023

Linkin Park Sued For Allegedly Stiffing Ex-Bassist On Album Reissue: ‘Never Been Paid a Penny’

Linkin Park is facing a lawsuit that claims it has refused to credit or pay royalties to an ex-bassist who played with the band in the late 1990s — a legal battle triggered by an anniversary re-release of the band’s smash hit 2000 debut album.

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In a complaint filed Wednesday (Nov. 8) federal court, Kyle Christner says he helped creating many songs that were included on the 2020 box-set edition of Hybrid Theory, which holds the lofty distinction as the best-selling rock album of the 21st century. But he says his contributions have been effectively erased.

“Christner has never been paid a penny for his work with Linkin Park, nor has he been properly credited, even as defendants have benefitted from his creative efforts,” his lawyers wrote in the lawsuit.

Christner claims he was a member of Linkin Park for several months in 1999, until he was “abruptly informed” that he had been fired shortly before the band signed a record deal with Warner Records. But before his exit, Christner claims he played bass on a self-released EP and on several demo recordings, some of which he says he “helped compose.”

His lawsuit claims that as many as 20 of those recordings were released as goodies on the 2020 re-release, making him “a joint creator of many tracks in the box set.” That includes a song called “Could Have Been,” a never-before-released demo track that has amassed 949,000 views on YouTube.

According to Christner, the situation came to a head earlier this year when he was contacted by a Linkin Park representative offering him royalties for the Hybrid Theory re-release. The email allegedly read: “You get mechanical royalties for 3 demos and the 6-song Hybrid Theory EP that you performed on.”

Christner responded by pressing the band for a more detailed explanation of his royalty breakdown, and arguing that he was entitled to a cut from a greater number of tracks — “more than twenty songs.” He later told the band: “If you do not believe I deserve writing credits on these songs, please state your reasons for that in your response.”

Later, after lawyers got involved, Christner says the band backtracked, denying that his work appeared in the box set at all.

“In other words, after admitting that Christner played on at least some tracks included in the box set and admitting that Christner was entitled to at least some ‘mechanical’ royalties, which are royalties paid for compositions, defendants repudiated Christner’s co-authorship and co-ownership of the works at issue,” his lawyers wrote in Wednesday’s complaint.

In technical terms, the lawsuit is asking a judge to issue a so-called declaratory judgment that says Christner is a co-author and co-owner of the copyrights in question, and to weigh in on the “rights and obligations of the parties” — meaning, whether the band owes him a cut of royalties and how much. He also is asking for a court-ordered accounting of royalties for the disputed songs.

As defendants, the lawsuit personally names Linkin Park’s living members (Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, Brad Delson and Joseph Hahn), as well as its business entity, Machine Shop Entertainment LLC, and the band’s label Warner Records.

A rep for Linkin Park did not immediately return a request for comment.