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12 Apr 2023

Warner Music Mexico Launches Women-Run Label Gorgona

Warner Music México has announced the launch of Gorgona, a label which will be “completely” run and managed by women, and will also be focused on promoting women talent.

According to a statement issued by the company Wednesday (April 12), the “historically low” presence of women in key senior industry roles initially led to the formation of Warner Music México’s Gender Equality Committee, comprised exclusively of women across the organization. Then came the idea of creating a label in which all roles — from songwriting to digital music services — would be executed by women.

The creation of Gorgona — a creature who is a protective deity of women according to Greek mythology is — led to their first songwriter’s camp attended by Ali Stone, Erika Vidrio, Escarlata, Ingratax, Marian Ruzzi, and other artists, producers and songwriters.

“The atmosphere in our first camp was very friendly because everyone felt that their opinions and voices were validated in the studio,” says Andrea Fernández, A&R manager at Warner Music Mexico and the label’s creative leader. “They had practically never attended a camp where the participation of women was greater than that of men. We came out with a network of creative women who were able to get to know themselves and their work and produced spectacular songs.”

“Cypher 1: Ella”, which dropped on International Women’s Day, was the first release under Gorgona. A collaboration between singers and emcees Mabiland, Emjay, Mare Advertencia and Delfina Dib, the alternative, urban-leaning song was produced by Maria Vertiz, mixed by Marcella Araica and mastered by Natalia Schlesinger.

The underrepresentation of women in the industry in Mexico reflects the reality of music in general. A report on inclusion issued by The University of California Annenberg Inclusion Initiative earlier this year found that women have been woefully underrepresented across the recorded music industry.

The number of women with producer credits continues to be low. In 2022, only 3.4% of producers were women across all songs included on the year-end Hot 100 chart, according to the report, which examines the gender of artists, songwriters and producers across all 1,100 songs included on Billboard’s Hot 100 year-end charts spanning from 2012 to 2022. Moreover, women represented only 30% of the 160 artists on the Hot 100 year-end chart, while men made up 69.4% and artists who identified as non-binary made up less than 1%. 

12 Apr 2023

Nickelback Remind You That Lizzo Once Said They Get ‘Way Too Much S–t’

You know Lizzo loves to rock. The “About Damn Time” singer proved it this summer when she covered German metal maniacs Rammstein‘s signature hit “Du Hast” while on tour in Berlin. And on Monday night (April 11) Nickelback reminded us that she once heaped praise on them on Canadian network CBC Music’s “Jam or Not Jam” segment in 2020 in an Instagram post in which they thanked her for the kind words.

“Thank you @lizzobeating for the kind words!,” they wrote alongside of a clip from the show. “Open invite any show any time… maybe see you in Houston this summer?”

The bit’s conceit revolves around the artist listening to a series of songs while wearing headphones and proclaiming the song a “jam” or “not jam.” When the strains of Nickelback’s 2001 Silver Side Up rock anthem “How You Remind Me” bubble up, Lizzo wastes no time singing along to Chad Kroeger’s grunting vocals, proclaiming, “it has a beautiful climax.”

“Why do people not like Nickelback? I feel like Nickelback gets way too much s–t,” she says, alluding to the frequent scorn heaped on the Canadian band. “I think that this is a jam.”

“Here we go, five, six, seven, eight,” the classically trained flutist counts off as the song builds to said climax and she begins banging her head, even as she admits she doesn’t know all the lyrics. “I like you… sorry,” she sings in her best strained Kroeger impression, fumbling the words, but praising the inescapable melody. “The beat drop-out, b—h?”

So, why does Lizzo think Nickelback get so much s–t? “Because he [Kroeger] had a curly blond perm,” she opines. “That’s the only reason they get s–t, because this is an amazing song.”

In the rest of the segment, she freaks out over the slam-dunk jam, Black Eyed Peas’ “My Humps,” gets hyped to hear BTS for the first time on their “ocean jam” collab with Halsey, “Boy With Love” and has to give it up to the Canadian pop queen Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” if only for the “whimsical” pan flute opening.

Watch Lizzo rock out to Nickelback below (“How You Remind Me” bit begins at the :30 second mark).

12 Apr 2023

Lewis Capaldi, Lizzo, J Balvin Set For Splendour In The Grass 2023

Lewis Capaldi, Lizzo, J Balvin, Mumford & Sons and many others are heading to Splendour In The Grass, Australia’s leading mid-year music festival.  

Also confirmed to the lineup for this year’s 21st anniversary edition are Flume, Slowthai, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sam Fender, Idles and scores more.

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Splendour returns to its home at Ngarindjin/North Byron Parklands from July 21-23, with tickets to the camping fest going on sale from this Friday (April 14).

For organizers Secret Sounds, part of Live Nation, this year’s event should feel like a return to normal, following a two-year pandemic which saw Splendour scratched from the calendar, and a comeback event in 2022 which was challenged by Mother Nature.

When its 2021 edition was wiped out, organizers shifted gears and used that timeslot to launch Splendour XR, a two-day virtual music festivals featuring more than 50 artist performances. Splendour XR was built alongside Linden Lab, the American digital entertainment developer that’s best known for building Second Life. But it wasn’t the real thing.

The real thing was established in 2001 in Byron Bay, a stunning beach spot on the most eastern point of Australia, a home to surfers, artists and Australia’s counterculture.

Today, Splendour is the only midwinter camping festival of its kind in Australia, and a place where internationals and homegrown performers have been known to test new cuts live for the very first time.

Three-day event tickets for Splendour are priced at A$447.51 (inclusive of booking fees); add A$197.27 for camping. Single day event tickets cost A$202.37.

Visit splendourinthegrass.com for more.

12 Apr 2023

Madonna, Daddy Yankee, Mariah Carey & More Named to National Recording Registry: Full List of 2023 Inductions

Recordings by Madonna, Daddy Yankee, Mariah Carey, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Police and Queen Latifah are among 25 being added to the National Recording Registry, the Library of Congress announced Wednesday (April 12).

The inductions include some history-makers. Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” is the first reggaeton recording to be inducted; the Super Mario Bros. theme (composed by Koji Kondo) is the first theme from a video game to join the registry; Lennon’s “Imagine” is the first recording by a former Beatle to be honored. The Beatles’ landmark 1967 album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was inducted in 2003.

This year’s inductions include three albums that topped the Billboard 200 – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s Déjà vu (1970), The Police’s Synchronicity (1983) and Madonna’s Like a Virgin (a 1984 release that topped the chart in 1985). Synchronicity was The Police’s only No. 1 album, Déjà vu was the first of three for CSNY, Like a Virgin was the first of nine for Madonna that made her the queen of pop.

This year’s inductions include five songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – The Four Seasons’ “Sherry” (1962), Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe” (1967), Irene Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feeling” (1983), Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” (1983), and Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (a 1994 release that first topped the Hot 100 in 2019 and has returned to No. 1 every year since).

Four newly-inducted recordings reached the top 10 on the Hot 100, though they fell short of the top spot – Jackie DeShannon’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love” (No. 7 in 1965), John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (No. 2 in 1971), Lennon’s “Imagine” (No. 3 in 1971) and Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” (No. 8 in 1977).

These 25 recordings were deemed worthy of preservation “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage,” according to the Library of Congress. This brings the number of titles on the registry to 625. The latest selections were released between 1908 and 2012.

Several of these inductions are linked to creative figures who have recently died. Cara died on Nov. 25, followed by David Crosby of CSNY on Jan. 18; Burt Bacharach, the composer of “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” on Feb. 8; and Seymour Stein, who signed Madonna to his Sire Records imprint, on April 2. (Bacharach and lyricist Hal David received the Library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song award in 2012.)

The induction of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” is the third major accolade for Eurythmics in the past year. In June 2022, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This year, they are scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The induction of the Super Mario Bros. theme is the latest sign of increased respect for video game music. The Recording Academy added a new category, best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media, at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, which were presented on Feb. 5.

Four of these entries received Grammy nominations in marquee categories. Déjà vu and   Synchronicity both vied for album of the year; “Ode to Billie Joe” for record and song of the year; Cara’s “Flashdance…What a Feelin’” for record of the year. The latter smash also won an Oscar for best original song.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” joins a short list of holiday perennials in the Registry. Others include Associated Glee Clubs of America’s 1925 recording of “Adeste Fideles,” Bing Crosby’s 1942 classic “White Christmas,” Eugene Ormandy’s 1959 album Messiah, Nat King Cole’s 1961 re-recording of The King Cole Trio’s 1946 classic “The Christmas Song,” The Vince Guaraldi Trio’s 1965 TV soundtrack, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Latifah’s All Hail the Queen is just the second album by a female rapper to join the Registry, following Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which straddles the line between hip-hop and R&B.

All Hail the Queen was Latifah’s debut album. Déjà vu was the first CSNY album. At the other extreme, Synchronicity was the final studio album by The Police before Sting left for a successful solo career.

Koko Taylor’s 1966 hit “Wang Dang Doodle” is the fifth recording by a female blues artist to be saluted, following Memphis Minnie’s “Me and My Chauffeur Blues,” Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues,” Bessie Smith’s “Down-Hearted Blues,” and Gertrude “Ma” Rainey’s “See See Rider Blues.”

Led Zeppelin’s 1971 classic “Stairway to Heaven” became as famous as most No. 1 hits even though it was never released as a single. It was one of the first tracks to show the power of the album-oriented rock (AOR) format.

Déjà vu showed the influence of Joni Mitchell, this year’s recipient of the Library’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Mitchell wrote “Woodstock,” which was the first and biggest hit from the album. Graham Nash, her live-in partner at the time, wrote “Our House,” a diary-like account of an average day at their home in California. Both songs became top 30 hits on the Hot 100.

“Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra” recorded by Northwest Chamber Orchestra, was released on CD in 2012, making it the most recently-released recording to make the Registry. The classical recording captures the shifting moods of Sept. 11, 2001, from the hustle and bustle of a normal working day in New York City to the violence, anger and sorrow that followed. WNYC’s radio broadcast for that historic day was inducted last year.

“The National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound and
reflects our nation’s diverse culture,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “The national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the public’s input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.”

Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of
Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles
each year that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10
years old. For more information about the registry, including a complete list of previous inductions and directions on how to nominate a recording, go here.

Here’s a complete list of the 2023 selections for the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by release date.

  • The Very First Mariachi Recordings — Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)
  • “St. Louis Blues” — [W.C.] Handy’s Memphis Blues Band (1922)
  • “Sugar Foot Stomp” — Fletcher Henderson (1926)
  • Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio (Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)
  • “Don’t Let Nobody Turn You Around” — The Fairfield Four (1947)
  • “Sherry” — The Four Seasons (1962)
  • “What the World Needs Now is Love” — Jackie DeShannon (1965)
  • “Wang Dang Doodle” — Koko Taylor (1966)
  • “Ode to Billie Joe” — Bobbie Gentry (1967)
  • Déjà Vu — Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)
  • “Take Me Home, Country Roads” — John Denver (1971)
  • “Imagine” — John Lennon (1971)
  • “Stairway to Heaven” — Led Zeppelin (1971)
  • “Margaritaville” — Jimmy Buffett (1977)
  • “Flashdance…What a Feeling” — Irene Cara (1983)
  • “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — Eurythmics (1983)
  • Synchronicity — The Police (1983)
  • Like a Virgin — Madonna (1984)
  • Black Codes (From the Underground) — Wynton Marsalis (1985)
  • Super Mario Bros. theme — Koji Kondo, composer (1986)
  • All Hail the Queen — Queen Latifah (1989)
  • “All I Want for Christmas is You” — Mariah Carey (1994)
  • “Pale Blue Dot” — Carl Sagan (1994)
  • “Gasolina” — Daddy Yankee (2004)
  • “Concerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra” — Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)

12 Apr 2023

Metallica Tears Through Classic ‘Holier Than Thou’ on ‘Kimmel’: Watch

Metallica are still thundering along, cranking it up and to 11 and inciting headbanging everywhere they go.

The Bay Area metal legends are currently locked in for a residency on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a celebration of their forthcoming 12th studio album, 72 Seasons.

On Tuesday (April 11), the second of their four-night stand, the Rock And Roll Hall of Famers went large with a classic, “Holier Than Thou,” lifted from their self-titled 1991 album, better known as The Black Album.

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It was The Black Album that launched these monsters of rock into superstar territory, and saw them tagged as the most popular heavy band of them all. Metallica was the first of the awesome foursome’s six leaders on the Billboard 200 chart, logging four weeks at the summit.

If you want your rock tight, meaty and your guitar solos shredded, “Holier Than Thou” is for you.

On opening night, James Hetfield and Co. sat for a chat with Kimmel and performed “Lux Æterna,” lifted from 72 Seasons, due out this Friday (April 14).

When the conversation moved to the now-iconic placement of “Master of Puppets” in a pivotal scene in season four of Netflix’s Stranger Things, Hetfield said it was a no-brainer, and that he’s still “blown away” that people are still turned on by the high-octane speed metal cut. “It’s like a nine-minute heavy metal song from 1986 that probably predates most of these people by 25 30 years,” drummer Lars Ulrich added. “It’s just insane. Who would have thought?”

Metallica will perform “Master of Puppets” on Wednesday (April 12), which Kimmel reckons is the longest song ever performed on the show.

Watch the late-night performance of “Holier Than Thou” below.

12 Apr 2023

Ellie Goulding Chases U.K. Chart Double

Ellie Goulding is eyeing a slice of heaven — a U.K. chart double.

The English singer and songwriter leads the midweek chart for second week with “Miracle” (via Polydor), her throwback rave single with Calvin Harris, and her fifth studio set Higher Than Heaven heads-up the midweek albums survey.

If Higher Than Heaven holds its spot, Goulding will boast a fourth leader following debut Lights (from 2010), Halcyon (2012) and Brightest Blue (2020). The only LP to miss out was 2015’s Delirium, which peaked at No. 3.

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New at No. 2 on the Official Chart Update is Hope (EMI), the sixth studio album from U.S. rapper, singer-songwriter and producer NF. If Hope hangs in there, it’ll give NF (real name: Nathan John Feuerstein) a career best following 2019’s The Search (No. 7) and 2021’s Clouds (No. 12).

Following a 20th anniversary reissue of Linkin Park’s sophomore album Meteora (Warner Records), the LP is about to fire back into the top 5, at No. 3. The former leader contains previously-unreleased material featuring vocals from the late Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, aged 41.

Another fresh title on track for a top 5 berth is Daughter’s Stereo Mind Game (4AD). It’s new at No. 4 on the midweek chart, for what would be the indie folk trio’s highest-charting album to date and first top 10, eclipsing their previously charting efforts If You Leave from 2013 (No. 16 peak) and 2016’s Not to Disappear (No. 17).

Finally, Scottish singer and songwriter Lewis Capaldi is enjoying a sales bump following the release of his Netflix documentary How I’m Feeling Now (EMI). His chart-topping 2019 debut Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent is set to lift 17-6.

All will be revealed when the OCC publishes its weekly charts on Friday (April 14).

11 Apr 2023

Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s ‘Miracle’ Set For Second U.K. Chart Crown

Just maybe, a miracle can happen twice. That’s what Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding will be hoping, as “Miracle” (via Columbia) leads the U.K. chart race for what would be a second week at No. 1.

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The throwback rave tune last Friday (April 7) climbed to the summit for the first time, a feat that saw Harris pass Elton John and Eminem on the list of artists with the most U.K. leaders (11), taking eighth place.

Goulding, meanwhile, equals Rita Ora and Geri Halliwell’s four No. 1s by a British female solo artist, and stands to snag a relatively rare chart double, should her new LP Higher Than Heaven debut atop the albums chart.

“Miracle” holds at No. 1 on the Official Chart Update, ahead of “People” (5k) by Afrobeats star Libianca, which is set to rise 4-2, for what would be its peak position. Ed Sheeran’s former leader “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic) is on track to complete the podium, holding at No. 3.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Drake is on course for the highest new entry with “Search & Rescue” (OVO/Republic Records). It’s new at No. 7 on the chart blast. If “Search & Rescue” holds its spot, the Canadian hip-hop star would earn a 38th U.K. top 10 single.

Also set for a top 40 splash is David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray’s “Baby Don’t Hurt” (Parlophone). The EDM cut, a reimagining of Haddaway’s 1993 number “What Is Love,” is new at No. 25 on the chart blast.

And finally, U.S. country star Morgan Wallen is eyeing his first ever U.K. top 40 single with “Last Night” (EMI). The track, lifting from Wallen’s Billboard 200 chart champion One Thing At a Time, is on track for a No. 40 bow.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday (April 14).

11 Apr 2023

BLACKPINK Share Personal Reflections Ahead of ‘Unreal,’ Historic Headlining Set at Coachella: Exclusive

BLACKPINK made music-festival history during their Coachella 2019 performance as the first female K-pop group to play at the iconic festival. Four years later, the quartet set a new standard entirely with a headlining slot at the Indio, Calif., fest.

Alongside Bad Bunny and Frank Ocean, BLACKPINK reign as one of the three main headliners for Coachella 2023 and the main musical affair for day 2 of both festival weekends on Saturday, April 15 and 22. While 2019 saw the act less than three years into their journey together for their Coachella debut with two EPs, Jennie‘s “Solo” debut and a handful of singles, the BLACKPINK ladies now boast two full-length albums, solo music from each member and multiple world tours to draw on for experience.

Ahead of the meaningful moment this weekend, each BLACKPINK member reflected with Billboard about their first performance in 2019, their feelings about playing in the desert this time and more.

While Jennie wowed with her group and “Solo” performances at Coachella in 2019, the singer-rapper says her anticipation of returning to the festival stage surpasses any butterflies.

“We’re so excited and honored to be able to return to Coachella as headliners,” The Idol star says. “We had the best time in 2019 and can’t wait to experience the energy of the audience again. There are some nerves, but more than anything, we’re just ready to have fun.”

Rosé says she’s still coming to terms with the opportunity to come back as headliners but recalls how substantial their first performance was in fueling the quartet’s ambitions.

It feels absolutely unreal,” the “Gone” singer-songwriter says. “I think performing for Coachella in 2019 was a moment that really woke us up as BLACKPINK—to be motivated, to dream on and dream big. But we never expected anything as big as being the headliner of a festival we’ve all grown up admiring and hoping someday we could find ourselves in the crowd of.”

blackpink Jennie Rose Lisa Jisoo

From left, Jennie, Rose, Lisa and Jisoo of BLACKPINK perform onstage during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2019 in Indio, California.

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Fresh off her solo debut with “Flower,” Jisoo says with a laugh how “it’s always so happy to meet BLINKs up close” before adding, “2019 Coachella was full of fascination and excitement, but we have no clue how 2023 Coachella will be. We try all the time to show a new side of ourselves for each stage to repay the love from BLINKs. It is an honor to perform as a headliner for Coachella festival; we want to show our improvement as BLACKPINK on stage — and will — so, stay tuned.”

Despite the hundreds of thousands that attend Coachella, BLACKPINK’s youngest member Lisa says she’s sticking to the group’s mantra when approaching any performance, including anything unique for this weekend.

“Our motto is to enjoy every stage and moment, ‘as if it’s the last,’ [by] interacting with the audience by energy and doing our best while performing,” the “Money” superstar says while referencing a beloved BLACKPINK single from 2017. “We’re working hard on various performances for 2023 Coachella; look forward to it!”

While Rosé also wants to keep the focus on simply returning to the stage, she and her band mates know they must meet the moment. “We’re honestly just excited to be back at Coachella performing, period, but the deal here is—we’re headlining,” she explains. “We feel honored for this opportunity as much as we feel the immense responsibility. We’ll be bringing something fun to the table.”

After photographers snapped Jisoo and Lisa leaving for the U.S. from South Korea’s Incheon International Airport together earlier this week, the members have stayed relatively quiet – both from public view and on their social media – as they put in final preparations for Weekend 1.

Jisoo closes by saying, “Hope you enjoy 2023 Coachella with BLACKPINK,” before Jennie signs off with, “See you in the desert!”

11 Apr 2023

‘When Your Gloss Matches Your Wings’: Ariana Grande Shines in R.E.M. Beauty Lip Gloss

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Ariana Grande is getting glossy with a fan favorite from her R.E.M. Beauty line that you might want to add to your list of things to buy for festival season. The 29-year-old singer and actress shared some glam inspiration with her millions of Instagram followers on Monday (April 10).

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Grande went for a fairy-inspired glam look in R.E.M. Beauty’s On Your Collar Plumping Lip Gloss ($17) and other products from the line including Practically Perfect Lip Stain Marker ($16), Eclipse Cheek & Lip Stick ($18), Intersteller Highlighter Topper ($22) and Sweetener Concealer ($24).

Grande wore the lip plumping gloss in an iridescent shade named “jelly sandals,” but the gloss is available in a range of colors including nudes, pinks, lavender and burgundy wine.

She also shared the full product rundown on the Instagram post, which she captioned “When your gloss matches your wings.”

On Your Collar Plumping Lip Gloss

$17

The singer is currently across the pond filming a silver-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, featuring a star-studded cast that includes Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Kristin Chenoweth, Bowen Yang and Jonathan Bailey. The musical, directed by Jon Chu, is slated to hit theaters sometime next year.

In other Grande news, the Grammy winner took to TikTok on Tuesday (April 11) to address body-shaming comments that she’s received.

“I don’t do this often,” Grande began. “I’m not good at it, and I don’t like it, but I just wanted to address your concerns about my body and talk a little about what it means to be a person with a body and to be paid such close attention to. I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s body’s, no matter what. Healthy, unhealthy, big, small, sexy, not-sexy –- we just shouldn’t. We should really work towards not doing that as much.”

Grande went on to open up about some of the older photos that fans have been comparing her current body to. “There are many different kinds of beautiful. There are many different ways to look healthy and beautiful. I know personally, for me, the body that you’ve been comparing my current body to was the unhealthiest version of my body.”

“I was on a lot of anti-depressants and drinking on them and eating poorly and at the lowest point of my life when I looked the way you consider my ‘healthy.’ But that in fact wasn’t my healthy, I know I shouldn’t have to explain this but I do feel like maybe having an openness and vulnerability, something good might come from it, I don’t know. But that’s the first thing, healthy can look different. The second thing is you never know what someone’s going through, so even if you are coming from a loving place and a caring place, that person probably is working on it or has a support system that they are working on it with. You never know, so be gentle with each other and with yourselves.”

In closing Grande added, “And thirdly, I just wanted to extend some love your way and tell you that you’re beautiful. No matter what phase you’re in.”

Watch the full video below.

11 Apr 2023

Mariah Angeliq Talks Latest Single ‘Ricota,’ Running Away From Home & Teases Possible U.S. Tour

Mariah Angeliq caught up with Billboard News to discuss the criticisms that inspired her latest single “Ricota,” running away from home to pursue music and how she thrives as a woman in reggaeton.

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“I [grew up] listening to music because of my mom. She has a love for music and named me Mariah because Mariah Carey was her favorite artist,” she explains. “When I was like 9, I realized yeah, I wanna be on the screen. That could be me.” 

The Miami native has seen much success in a short time, including her breakout single “Perreito,” which she performed at Billboard’s 2022 Latin Music Week and later with the chart-topping “EL MAKINON” alongside Colombian star Karol G. 

Mariah recalled meeting producer Nely “El Arma Secreta” at age 16 and was motivated by the Luny Tunes hitmaker to begin singing in Spanish. “For all my teenage years, I was singing in English and thinking to myself that I was going to be like the next fire R&B American artist,“ she tells Billboard. 

Around that time, Mariah ran away from home to fully immerse herself in the pursuit of music, something she says her family didn’t take seriously early on. Despite the lack of enthusiasm from her loved ones, she pressed forward. “We always know as artists that we’re going to make it,” she says. “I always believed in myself, and in my music.” 

Her most recent single, “Ricota,” came in response to Internet “haters” hurling insults at the 23-year-old singer regarding her weight. “They started saying I was fat and I’m not here looking for validation. I think what that’s what the message of the song is,” Mariah explains. “Society has such a distorted perspective of beauty. But while I was getting all those negative comments, I received a DM saying that I was ‘bien ricota,’ so I got inspired.”

When it comes to navigating reggaeton, which for most of its history has been male-dominated, she draws on inspirations like Ivy Queen and her own “boss” energy. “I feel like I’ve navigated or learned to navigate through it really well because of my attitude and my strong character. You just gotta learn to speak up for yourself and have a voice.” 

Mariah will embark on a European tour this summer, and possibly a U.S. tour to follow.