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Linkin Park’s “Up From the Bottom” takes the top spot on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay charts, rising to the top of both May 31-dated surveys.
The rockers nab their 14th ruler on Alternative Airplay, breaking out of a three-way tie for the second-most since the tally began in 1988. They also pass Cage the Elephant for the most Alternative Airplay No. 1s since 2000 (14 to 13).
Only one act has more No. 1s on Alternative Airplay all-time as of the May 31 list: Red Hot Chili Peppers, with 15.
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Most No. 1s, Alternative Airplay:
15, Red Hot Chili Peppers
14, Linkin Park
13, Cage the Elephant
13, Green Day
12, Foo Fighters
11, Twenty One Pilots
8, The Black Keys
8, U2
8, Weezer
7, Imagine Dragons
Linkin Park first appeared on Alternative Airplay in 2000 with “One Step Closer,” which peaked at No. 5 in January 2001. Its first No. 1, “In the End,” reached the summit in December 2001.
“Up From the Bottom” is the band’s first leader since “The Emptiness Machine,” for five weeks in October-November 2024. In between Linkin Park’s two latest No. 1s, “Heavy Is the Crown” peaked at No. 6 in March.
On Mainstream Rock Airplay, “Up From the Bottom” marks Linkin Park’s 13th No. 1, lifting the band into a four-way tie with Disturbed, Godsmack and Van Halen for the sixth-most dating to the chart’s 1981 inception.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
20, Shinedown
18, Three Days Grace
15, Five Finger Death Punch
14, Foo Fighters
14, Metallica
13, Disturbed
13, Godsmack
13, Linkin Park
13, Van Halen
Linkin Park’s Mainstream Rock Airplay career also began in 2000 with “One Step Closer,” though its first leader came with “Somewhere I Belong” in 2003. The band has now strung together five No. 1s in a row on the chart, dating to the eight-week command of “Lost” in 2023.
“Up From the Bottom” is the first song to top both Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay (at all or simultaneously) since “The Emptiness Machine.”
Concurrently, “Up From the Bottom” spends a sixth week atop the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 6.2 million audience impressions, up 8%, in the week ending May 22, according to Luminate.
The song placed at No. 10 on the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated May 24, reflecting data May 9-15), after reaching No. 2 in April 12. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 1.2 million official U.S. streams.
“Up From the Bottom” is on the deluxe version of From Zero, Linkin Park’s eighth studio album. The standard edition debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated Nov. 30, 2024; the deluxe was released May 16. From Zero has earned 383,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated May 31 will update on Wednesday, May 28, on Billboard.com (a day later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday May 26).
Billboard Canada is getting a major headliner for the inaugural Billboard Canada Live Stage.
Khalid will perform at the heart of downtown Toronto at Sankofa Square as part of NXNE’s 30th anniversary. That’s been the site of many of the beloved festival’s most memorable shows, including performances by Wu-Tang Clan, The Flaming Lips, The National, Iggy Pop & The Stooges and many more.
Billboard’s The Stage is known for bringing major chart-topping artists to festivals like SXSW, and Khalid is a perfect choice to expand it to Canada. He’s a major star of the streaming era, and he’ll return to the city for the first time since playing with Ed Sheeran at Rogers Centre in 2023.
Since debuting nearly a decade ago, Khalid has 40 charting hits on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and 5 charting albums on the Canadian Albums chart, including Free Spirit, which went to No. 1 in 2019. He returned after a brief hiatus in 2024 with Sincere, his most mature and personal album yet, which has started a new phase of the R&B and pop artist’s illustrious career.
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Khalid has an undeniable connection to Canada, and has collaborated over the years with Canadian artists like Shawn Mendes, Tate McRae, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, Majid Jordan and more.
He’s played some huge shows in Toronto, including the city’s biggest arenas and stadiums. This show will bring him to the city’s most bustling intersection for a special moment celebrating his whole career.
Limited VIP tickets are available now, here. –Richard Trapunski
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Steven Guilbeault Becomes Canada’s New Minister of Culture. What Does That Mean For the Music Industry?
Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled his new Liberal Cabinet, which will have ramifications for some key ongoing issues in the music industry.
Steven Guilbeault was appointed as Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, a post with particular interest to the sector. He was also appointed Minister responsible for Official Languages.
The Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) wasted no time in outlining its industry concerns and requests to the new Minister. In a statement, the trade org welcomed Guilbeault to the position while issuing an urgent call to prioritize Canadian-owned culture, IP and sovereignty.
“Minister Guilbeault takes on this portfolio at a critical moment for Canada’s cultural sector,” CIMA writes after congratulating the new Minister. “As venture capital, global tech platforms, and multinational entertainment corporations expand their dominance and market share, the future of Canadian-owned culture — and the intellectual property that drives it — is at risk without renewed, dynamic and stable investment in the sector.”
The organization points to three recent events that they suggest threaten independent music in Canada, and says they “all underscore the growing concentration of global corporate power.” They are: TikTok’s withdrawal from global licensing negotiations with Merlin, Universal Music Group’s acquisition of Downtown Music’s assets and legal challenges launched by streaming services against paying into Canadian Content funds.
Andrew Cash, President and CEO of CIMA, stressed that “Canadian-owned music companies are not just players in our cultural economy — they are part of its foundation. They create intellectual property, generate jobs, tell Canadian stories, and fuel long-term economic growth. Without Canadian-owned companies, our culture risks being outsourced, diluted, and devalued.”
CIMA issued a very similar statement two weeks earlier, when the results of the federal election became known. It also urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to “make the investment in and promotion of Canadian-owned cultural businesses a top priority…to secure a strong future for Canadian culture.”
CIMA’s statement comes at a pivotal time, as hearings begin on drafting a new definition for CanCon in the implementation of the Online Streaming Act. A court challenge by major foreign-owned streaming companies like Spotify and Apple will also begin in June, with tech companies (joined by Music Canada) challenging the CRTC’s mandated fee payments for Canadian Content. –Kerry Doole
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Toronto’s Bowl at Sobeys Stadium Concert Venue Goes Quiet in 2025
Last year, a new concert venue was unveiled. In summer 2024, The Feldman Agency opened The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, located at the site of Canada’s biggest tennis tournament, the National Bank Open. It was a partnership between Tennis Canada and the Toronto-based talent and booking company.
Now, after one summer of shows, the venue has gone quiet.
“We can confirm that we are hitting pause for summer 2025,” says Jeff Craib, president of The Feldman Agency, in a statement to Billboard Canada. “We will make further comment when there is any news to share.”
In a report by theToronto Star, Tennis Canada also confirmed the news, while saying they will “continue to work with the Feldman Agency with the hope the concert series will return in 2026 and beyond.”
The 9,000 capacity venue hosted a limited series of 2024 shows at The Bowl at Sobeys Stadium, including performances by the Barenaked Ladies, Shaggy, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, The Tea Party and comedian Kevin Hart.
Billboard Canada reported on the launch of the Bowl at Sobeys Stadium in December 2023, and Craib expressed optimism about its potential then. “We will be working closely together with Tennis Canada to provide the best of tennis and live entertainment to Toronto and its surrounding areas,” Craib said, noting that “Sobeys Stadium’s location in North America’s third-largest concert market (after New York and Los Angeles) and surrounding population of more than 6.8 million makes it a well-positioned live entertainment venue for both performers and fans.”
At the time, Craib shared that he expected around 15 shows per year at the open air venue.
Toronto is not starved for major concerts in summer 2025. The demand is high for arena and stadium shows, as stakeholders at the biggest companies have recently reported. This summer will see the opening of another temporary open-air venue, the 50,000 capacity Rogers Stadium, where Live Nation will present a full slate of concerts this summer. –KD
On daddy duty! MGK took to social media on Thursday (May 22) to share a selfie with his baby daughter before hitting a Spotify milestone with his new single, “Cliché.” The artist formerly known as Machine Gun Kelly posted the sweet snap, taken in what appears to be the reflection of a car door, in […]
With the Diddy trial now in recess for the long holiday weekend, Billboard is recapping the biggest moments over the first two weeks — from Cassie Ventura’s bombshell testimony about “freak offs” to a hunt for Suge Knight to Kid Cudi’s torched Porsche.
The trial, which is expected to last six more weeks, will decide the fate of Sean “Diddy” Combs, who federal prosecutors say coerced Ventura and other women to partake in the freak offs — drug-fueled sex with male escorts for his entertainment. His attorneys say the events were entirely consensual.
After just two weeks of testimony, there’s no shortage of big moments. Here are the six you — and the jurors — are going to remember.
The Video
On the very first day of the trial, prosecutors wasted no time getting to their most explosive piece of evidence: a headline-grabbing surveillance video of Combs beating Ventura in the hallway at Los Angeles’ Intercontinental Hotel in March 2016.
Ahead of the trial, the two sides spent months arguing over whether the clip could be played for the jury. Combs’ team argued first that it had been unfairly leaked to the press to taint the jury pool, and later said it had been deceptively edited and would confuse jurors. But prosecutors said he was merely “desperate” to hide “some of the most damning evidence of his sex trafficking,” and a judge eventually ruled that it could be played.
Prosecutors did so immediately, calling as their very first witness a former security guard at the hotel who responded to the incident. Playing with no audio in a silent courtroom, jurors looked on impassively as the ugly footage played twice, once with the security guard describing each moment in detail from the witness stand.
Graphic Details About Freak-Offs
Freak offs — elaborate events in which Combs allegedly forced Ventura and others to have sex with escorts while he masturbated — have been at the center of the case since it was filed. But on the first day of the trial, jurors got far more vivid details.
Daniel Philips, a male exotic dancer who said he’d taken part in numerous freak offs, described arriving to dark Manhattan hotel rooms, where he would have sex with Ventura at Diddy’s direction. When a prosecutor asked what Combs had been doing during the events, Philips didn’t mince words: “He was sitting in the corner masturbating.”
Philips’ testimony got darker and more graphic from there, describing ejaculation, urination, drug use and finally an outburst of physical violence against Cassie: “I was shocked. It came out of nowhere. I was terrified,” Philips said.
Later, Cassie told jurors her own side of the story, saying the parties left her feeling “humiliated” and eventually “became a job,” but that she felt she had no choice but to participate — first out of wanting to please a man she loved, and later out of fear of blackmail videos and physical violence.
When asked about whether she had wanted to be urinated on, Cassie was unequivocal: “No, I did not want it,” she said. “It was disgusting, it was too much. I choked. No one could think I wanted it.”
Celebrity Name Drops
The first two weeks of the Diddy trial have seen a number of major celebrity name-drops — none accused of any wrongdoing, but likely still to the chagrin of their publicists.
Under cross-examination, Ventura told the jury about a 21st birthday party that Combs threw for her at a Las Vegas club in 2007 — a key early moment in their romantic relationship. When asked about other celebrities in attendance, she said that Diddy had “brought Britney Spears” to the event. Later, defense attorneys mentioned Michael B. Jordan, suggesting Combs was jealous because he was suspicious Ventura was having an affair with the actor in 2015.
Then at the start of the second week, Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard told jurors that Combs once punched Ventura in the stomach at a Los Angeles restaurant where Usher and other celebrities were present. Richard’s testimony left it unclear whether the A-listers had actually seen the incident or merely been at the event.
The Hunt For Suge Knight
But no celebrity name drop was more dramatic than that of Suge Knight — the former CEO of Death Row Records and a major Diddy rival in the East Coast–West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s.
During her testimony last week, Cassie told jurors of a 2008 incident in which Combs abruptly left a freak-off after learning that Knight was at a diner nearby. “I was crying,” she said. “I was screaming, ‘Please don’t do anything stupid’.”
Then on Tuesday, Diddy’s former personal assistant David James offered another, more detailed perspective on the incident — saying he driven a black SUV carrying Combs, a security guard and multiple handguns to the restaurant, but that Knight had already left when they arrived. “It was the first time I realized my life was in danger,” James said.
Cassie’s Settlements
During cross-examination, Diddy’s lawyers got Cassie to reveal the size of two major civil settlements stemming from the abuse she allegedly suffered — a tactic likely aimed at making jurors question her motives for speaking out against Combs.
It was Ventura’s civil lawsuit, filed in November 2023, that first raised allegations against Combs. Though it sparked a flood of additional cases and set into motion the criminal probe that led to his indictment, the case itself was almost immediately dismissed after Cassie reached a private settlement.
At trial this week, Cassie confirmed that she had she had received $20 million in that deal. Diddy’s defense attorney quickly noted that Ventura had canceled an upcoming concert tour soon after inking that settlement. “As soon as you saw that you were going to get the $20 million, you canceled the tour because you didn’t need it anymore, right?” Estevao asked Ventura. “That wasn’t the reason why,” she replied.
Later that same day, Ventura said she would give the money back if she could reverse Combs’ abuse. “If I never had to have freak-offs I would have agency and autonomy,” Ventura said.
Near the very end of her testimony, Ventura also revealed another settlement for the first time, disclosing that she was expecting to receive roughly $10 million from InterContinental Hotels over the 2016 incident captured in the surveillance tape.
Kid Cudi Takes The Stand
Beyond Cassie herself, the highest-profile witness to testify so far has been Kid Cudi — a critically acclaimed rapper who briefly dated Ventura in 2011.
Cudi has long been linked to the case. Back when Ventura first sued, she suggested that Combs had blown up Cudi’s car as an act of jealous revenge. A spokesperson for the rapper later confirmed her account to the New York Times: “This is all true.”
Sitting on the witness stand, Cudi said it himself — telling jurors that he believes Combs broke into his Los Angeles house and later torched his Porsche with a Molotov cocktail. Shown a photo of his burnt-up luxury car, Cudi said, “It looks like the top of my Porsche was cut open, and that’s where the Molotov cocktail was put in.”
Cudi later told jurors that Combs had promised him he wasn’t responsible for the car explosion, but he said he believed Combs was lying.
Kendrick Lamar is a student of the rap game, and Questlove was surprised to see the West Coast hip-hop savant pay homage to The Roots with his “Squabble Up” video. The Roots drummer stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show on Thursday (May 22), where he opened up about Lamar recreating the scene from the Philly […]
Dan Storper, the co-founder and CEO of Putumayo World Music, died on Thursday (May 22) at 74, just two days after his birthday. Sources confirm that he passed peacefully at home in New Orleans, surrounded by family, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jacob Edgar, founder of the label Cumbancha and Storper’s longtime friend and colleague, shared a heartfelt statement with Billboard Español: “Just three days ago, I posted birthday wishes to Dan Storper, the founder of Putumayo World Music and my colleague and friend for nearly 30 years. I knew then that Dan was in his last days, but I couldn’t imagine a world without him. He passed away yesterday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.”
Edgar, who began working with Storper in 1998 after being offered what he called “the dream job no one could dare dream of,” described the late visionary as “an exceptional human,” he wrote. “Funny, energetic, passionate, micromanaging, and compulsive. A workaholic to the extreme. He could drive you crazy, but you loved him anyway because his heart was in the right place, and he was a good soul.”
In 2023, the globetrotting entrepreneur marked 30 years of his groundbreaking label.
But Storper’s journey with Putumayo began long before the label existed. Originally launched in the 1970s in New York as a store selling handcrafted goods and musical finds from his travels in Latin America, Africa, India, and beyond, the shop gradually shifted its focus to music. By 1993, it had transformed into Putumayo World Music, a record label dedicated to curating global sounds for a wider audience, co-founding it with Michael Kraus.
The label became an international success, celebrated for its uplifting and culturally diverse compilations. Known for its signature brightly illustrated album covers and expertly sequenced playlists, Putumayo invited listeners to embark on musical journeys across continents, introducing many to the rhythms, traditions, and languages of faraway lands. Storper’s leadership helped bridge cultural divides through the universal language of music.
In an interview with Billboard Español in 2023, Storper reflected on what he saw as Putumayo’s mission. “I look back with a certain measure of pride at the fact that we’ve really introduced so many people to music that they were not familiar with — whether it be Latin, African, Caribbean, European, and more,” Storper said at the time, as he reflected on his company’s three-decade legacy. He also mentioned that Carlos Santana met several African bands through the Putumayo catalog that the guitarist later ended up collaborating with.
Storper also spoke fondly of how the label crafted its signature compilations. “Putumayo’s strength is not only selecting some great songs with that human touch, but putting together a sequence to take you on a musical journey, and as we say, it’s guaranteed to make you feel good,” he added.
Even as his health declined, Storper’s commitment to preserving global music remained unwavering. This April, he and Edgar donated their shared archive of 37,000 CDs — a collection built over more than 30 years — to the Harvard Music Library and the ARChive of Popular Music. “He and I listened to almost every one of those albums and scrawled notes over most of them marking out the tracks we thought had a chance to make into a Putumayo collection someday. I’m glad to know that legacy will be preserved,” said Edgar.
This week in dance music: Dua Lipa covered Daft Punk’s essential “Get Lucky” while on tour in France, Calvin Harris posted an eight-minute video in response to plagiarism accusations from Chicane and we spoke with BPM festival co-founder Phil Pulitano about his new event, a boutique show happening this January in the Puerto Rican rainforest. […]
Source: Prince Williams / Getty
In a recent conversation with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay, 2 Chainz opened up about a surprising experience he had with Birdman and Lil Wayne during Wayne’s prime.
According to Chainz, Birdman had a habit of charging artists $100,000 just to get them in contact with Wayne. It was a costly fee, but one that many were willing to pay in hopes of securing a collaboration with the legendary rapper.
2 Chainz, however, found a more creative way to bypass the expensive fee. While shopping at a Gucci store, he bought a pair of red Gucci shoes for Wayne, symbolizing Wayne’s “red team” affiliation. He then took the shoes to Wayne at the studio, along with a beat CD. “He don’t know I’m about to take it to him,” 2 Chainz explained. Upon receiving the gift, Wayne was impressed, saying, “Damn, these harder than a b*tch.”
The two quickly got into the studio, but there was an issue with the email containing the song, which Wayne had sent. After sorting it out, they listened to the track, and 2 Chainz immediately recognized its potential. “Man, you did that for me?” he asked Wayne. Wayne responded with a simple, “Yeah boy.”
Despite Weezy’s generosity, Baby still expected his $100,000 for the connection. But as 2 Chainz aka “Tony” quipped, “it’s only going to be just 100, not 200.” That song, “Duffle Bag Boy” by Playaz Circle, would go on to become a major hit, cementing its place in Hip-Hop history.
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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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Jesse & Joy, Lo Que Nos Faltó Decir (Warner Music Latina)
With a range of sounds representative of their bicultural upbringing (Mexico-U.S.), Jesse & Joy present an eclectic 13-track album that spans pop, regional music, singer-songwriter styles, and soul. “A sonic journey between two worlds, five cities, and all the words yet to be said,” as described in the press release, the Huerta siblings’ seventh album was produced by Martin Terefe along with Jesse, and recorded across London, New York, Los Angeles, Bogotá, and Mexico City.
Collaborators include Carlos Vives, Banda MS, Elsa y Elmar, Eden Muñoz and Poo Bear, on songs as varied as the focus track “Empinar el Codo” with Vives — a heartbreak-themed pop song with a festive vibe — or the bilingual reggae track “Nube” with Poo Bear, about feeling on cloud nine when experiencing the excitement of new love. The album opens with the sweet instrumental “Canción de Mylo” and follows with the uptempo “Digas Lo Que Digas,” one of the previously released singles, which also include “Cuando Estamos a Solas” in support of Coming Out Day. Especially moving is the title track, a heart-wrenching ballad in Jesse & Joy’s signature style.
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Lo Que Nos Faltó Decir coincides with the launch of the duo’s El Despecho Tour 2025. It also comes at a special moment for Joy, who was recently nominated for a Tony Award as a composer for the Broadway musical Real Women Have Curves. — SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Morat, Ya Es Mañana (Universal Music Spain)
Morat’s fifth studio album Ya Es Mañana showcases a loyal band that skillfully navigates its evolution without sacrificing its true essence. Inspired by the powerful electric guitar riffs of the ’90s, this emotional set travels from the engaging “Faltas Tú” to the captivating “Me Toca A Mí,” a collaboration with Camilo that thunders with potent drum beats and echoes Def Leppard’s classic sound. Among the 14 gems are “Antes De Cumplir Los 30,” which tells a story of youthful reflection; “Por Si No Te Vuelvo A Ver,” filled with poignant longing; “La Policía,” which carries an undercurrent of social commentary; and “Cuarto De Hotel” with its rich, atmospheric emotion. The standout “Vuelvo A Ti” captures the spirit of a new awakening with its refreshing and heartfelt approach.
“This is the moment to make the most of life, to be aware of what we must do now to create an incredible future. For us, this album embodies the idea of the band we have always wanted to be, and we hope you enjoy it,” said Juan Pablo Villamil during the band’s album release party in Miami on Thursday (May 22). — INGRID FAJARDO
Carín León & Maluma, “Si Tú Me Vieras” (Socios Music)
After teaming up for the runway hit “Según Quién” two years ago, which peaked at No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay, Carín León and Maluma join forces once again for “Si Tu Me Vieras,” one of the new tracks from León’s Palabra de To’s (Seca) deluxe album. The two songs couldn’t be more different from each other: Unlike “Según,” which leans more pop with horn instruments giving it that regional touch, “Si Tu Me Vieras” is more acoustic, with prickly guitars and a slapping tololoche leading the way for a more stripped-down approache. Lyrically, both are ultra vulnerable singing about not being able to overcome a heartbreak. “If you could see how I suffer realizing you’re no longer with me,” they sing, almost wailing. León’s deluxe release includes three other new songs, including “Me Está Doliendo” with Alejandro Fernández, “Tres Pesos” and “Por La Suave.” — GRISELDA FLORES
Sergio George, Ataca Sergio! Presents: Urban Salsa Sessions (Sony Music Latin)
In early 2024, Latin producer Sergio George gave the first taste of his ambitious project “Urban Salsa Sessions” with the release of “La Puerta” in collaboration with Jay Wheeler. The heartfelt tropical tune set the tone for what would become the hitmaker’s new studio album — where he reunited some of the biggest names in urban & pop to create brand new salsa songs. The focus track, “La Gata y el Ratón,” features Fariana’s sensual vocals, Juanes’ electric guitar riffs and a sample of Cheo Feliciano’s original voice for a bold interpolation of Cheo’s 1974 classic “El Ratón.”
Moreover, George reeled in Ryan Castro on “Amor Material,” Anthony Ramons singing salsa in English on “I Was the One,” Elena Rose and Oscar D’ Leon on “Me Das Fever” and Cuban newcomer Bebeshito on “Lo Sabe,” where he cleverly blends salsa music with Cuba’s booming urban genre, reparto. Beyond its colorful and flavorful rhythms, Ataca Sergio! Presents: Urban Salsa Sessions, is also home to uplifting and motivational tunes such as the Mike Bahía and Annasofia-assisted “Gracias,” a modern-day salsa with gospel undertones about gratitude, and closing track “La Vida es Una FIesta” with Wisin. — JESSICA ROIZ
Mau y Ricky, Danny Ocean & Yorghaki, “Samaná” (Why Club Records)
After collaborating in 2024 on “La Penúltima,” Venezuelan stars Mau y Ricky and Danny Ocean join forces again —this time also with their compatriot Yorghaki— on “Samaná,” a summer love song whose title is the name of a Dominican coastal city. In this fusion of bachata with Latin and Caribbean sounds, the artists sing about their desire to rekindle a fleeting romance with the woman of their dreams amidst sandy, sun-drenched parties: “I ask God to take care of you/ And if you’re with someone, to be careless/ I don’t know if it took me too long to tell you/ But I want to finish what started in Samaná.”
“‘Samaná’ is the result of several friends coming together to do what they love,” Mau y Ricky says in a press release — a camaraderie that’s also evident in the music video and the artists’ social media posts. — S.R.A.
Alex Ponce, “Como Ella Ya No Hay” (Neon16/Sony Music Latin)
Ecuadorian singer-songwriter Alex Ponce addresses his ex’s new love in his new single “Como Ella Ya No Hay.” The lyrics are a manual for loving a lost love well. With an electropop base, an irresistible electric bass groove and enveloping harmonies, the song vibrates between what was and what will no longer be. For those who have loved badly and understood it too late, this song hits straight to the soul. — LUISA CALLE
Myke Towers, “Baja California” (From F1 The Movie) (Atlantic Records/Apple Video Programming)
Set against the rugged terrain of the Northern Mexican state it’s named after, Myke Towers’ “Baja California” captures the thrill of adrenaline-fueled velocity with unapologetic swagger. Interpolating Black Sheep’s early-’90s hip-hop classic “The Choice Is Yours,” the Puerto Rican rapper turbocharges the track with the chaos and control of dirt bike trails, daunting mountains and the tempestuous coastline.
Produced by El Guincho and Oscar, the single also mirrors the tension and raw energy of the Formula 1 universe. Towers weaves sharp bars about risk, mastery, and chasing victory, embodying a speed demon fearlessly living on instinct (“a la adrenalina nunca le he tenido fobia,” he raps). “Baja California” is part of F1: The Album (out June 27), the official soundtrack for the Apple Original Film, starring Brad Pitt. As the only Latin artist featured on the soundtrack album, Towers holds his own on a star-studded roster that includes Ed Sheeran, Sexyy Red, Burna Boy, and Tiësto. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Bronco, Tour 45 En Vivo (REC PRIME INC)
The iconic regional Mexican group celebrates its four-and-a-half-decade-long career with this compilation of 16 songs recorded live — 13 of which are duets with international acts from various music genres, such as Julieta Venegas, Matisse, Aleks Syntek, Vagón Chicano, Guaynaa, and Los Auténticos Decadentes. The album was recorded throughout 2024, during the group’s Tour 45 performances in the U.S., Central and South America, in iconic venues including Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, and the Jockey Club in Asuncion, Paraguay. Among the songs included in this collectors piece are “Pastillas de Amnesia,” “Libros Tontos,” “Oro,” “Nunca Voy a Olvidarte” and “Con Zapatos de Tacón.” Definitely a great gift for true fans of Bronco, a legend of Spanish-language music. — TERE AGUILERA
Check out more Latin recommendations this week below:
As spring is winding down, Alex Warren and Jelly Roll, Joe Jonas and more are heating things up with new music released this past week. Nearly a month after debuting the song live during the TikToker’s guest appearance at the “Son of a Sinner” musician’s Stagecoach set in April, the twosome have dropped new duet […]
