Rock
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The Funeral Portrait ranks at No. 1 on a Billboard chart for the first time, as “Suffocate City,” featuring Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas, tops the Mainstream Rock Airplay tally dated Nov. 16.
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Rising a spot to No. 1, “Suffocate City” is the Atlanta-based band’s first entry on any Billboard chart. The act is the third to notch a first ruler on the ranking as a lead act in 2024, following Wage War with “Magnetic” in August and Daughtry with “Artificial” in February.
As for acts ruling with maiden-charting songs in a lead role on Mainstream Rock Airplay, The Funeral Portrait is the first since Jelly Roll led with “Dead Man Walking” in May 2022. As Jelly Roll had made songs-based Billboard charts before then, The Funeral Portrait is the first act to lead with a first charted track on any ranking since Nita Strauss, whose “Dead Inside,” alongside David Draiman, topped Mainstream Rock Airplay in January 2022.
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As for Charnas, the frontman of Ice Nine Kills, “Suffocate City” is his first leader on any chart, too. As a soloist, he reached No. 16 on Mainstream Rock Airplay in February 2023 as featured on Fame on Fire’s “Welcome to the Chaos.” Ice Nine Kills’ Mainstream Rock Airplay best is “A Grave Mistake,” which hit No. 9 in 2019.
Concurrently, “Suffocate City” bullets at No. 12 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, after reaching No. 11 a week earlier. It earned 2.5 million audience impressions in the week ending Nov. 7, up 6%, according to Luminate.
On the most recently published multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart (dated Nov. 9, reflecting data in the week ending Oct. 31), “Suffocate City” hit a new No. 17 high. In addition to its radio airplay, it drew 156,000 official U.S. streams.
“Suffocate City” is the lead single from Greetings From Suffocate City, which was released on Sept. 13 and has earned 12,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated Nov. 16 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Not for nothing, but singer/producer Mk.gee literally taught us how to say his name on his 2018 EP, Pronounced McGee. But, here we are with this week’s Saturday Night Live promo featuring host comedian Bill Burr, in which cast member Sarah Sherman just can’t do the math on how to sound out the Two Star & Dream Police performer’s stage moniker.
“Hi, I’m Bill Burr and I’m hosting SNL this week with Mk.gee,” says Burr, who will anchor the first show following this week’s historic election in which former President Donald Trump beat out Vice President Kamala Harris. “Mk.gee, how do you spell your name?” a confused Sherman asks.
“M, as in Mk.gee,” responds the enigmatic indie singer-songwriter, who recently revealed that he’s working in the studio on Justin Bieber’s next album. “Yeah, ‘K’ as ‘Kiss From a Rose,’ by Seal,” adds Burr. “Dot as in ‘dot com,’ the host continues as the musical guest concludes, “G as in ‘gee.’”
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“Okay, never mind, forget I asked,” an exasperated Sherman tells the men.
In the second bit, Sherman is very impressed with herself, rolling her eyes and saying, “Thank you, I do look ravishing today!,” to which Burr says, “I didn’t say you looked ravishing” as Mk.gee stands silent in a giant brown coat and matching hued shirt and black baseball hat. “I’m talkin’ about Mk.gee,” Burr assures her.
“Your hotel room tonight?,” Sherman goes on, as she pretends to be having a private conversation with a suitor via a non-existent earpiece. “What?” a confused Burr wonders. “Sorry, I’m on a call. Let me know when the promo starts,” Sherman tells him. “Sorry about that… where were we, Mickey Rourke?” Sherman coos while holding a finger to her ear to continue the phantom chat. The latter finally gets the attention of Rourke superfan Burr, though it’s too late at that point.
This weekend’s gig will mark 27-year-old New Jersey native Mk.gee’s SNL debut. Mk.gee is currently on a world tour that take him to Australia in December.
Watch this week’s SNL promo below.
Veteran glam-metal outfit Poison are set to take to the stage once again in the near future, drummer Rikki Rockett has confirmed.
The group, who formed in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania in 1983, have been largely sporadic in their existence over the past 15 years, with their most recent run of shows occurring in 2022 alongside Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe.
However, speaking to Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation, Rockett—who has played with the group since their inception—has said a 2026 comeback is in the works.
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Trunk approached the topic when he told the drummer that frontman Bret Michaels had been in contact and urged him to ask about the band’s future.
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“When I announced on socials about a week ago when I knew you were going to come on today,” Trunk explained. “Bret sent me a text – Bret Michaels – a day or two ago, and he said, ‘Hey, I hear you’re gonna have Rockett on. Send him my love and tell him Poison 2026.’”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely. ’26 is for sure gonna happen,” Rockett confirmed. “I mean, unless some unforeseen thing happens, but all band members have stuck their hand in and said, ‘Yeah, we’re definitely doing it – without a doubt.’”
Poison released their first album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, in 1986, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200 that same year. Their follow-up, 1988’s Open Up and Say… Ahh!, would chart one spot higher, with 1990’s Flesh & Blood repeating that feat.
Despite singles such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” topping the Hot 100, and other hits like “Talk Dirty to Me”, “Nothin’ But a Good Time”, and “Unskinny Bop” all reaching the top ten, Poison didn’t score another charting hit past 1993, with their final album—a covers record titled Poison’d!—arriving in 2007.
Since then, Michaels has embarked upon a solo career in addition to becoming a reality TV star thanks to the likes of Rock of Love with Bret Michaels and The Celebrity Apprentice.
Earlier this year, Michaels confirmed he would be taking “most, if not all, of 2025 off” due to “physical adversity” he explained to be “diabetes, a brain hemorrhage, skin cancer and [his] self-titled ‘headbanger’s neck’.”
Michaels, who had previously experienced a raft of health issues, told fans earlier this year that he would be “taking most, if not all, of 2025 off” due to some encounters with “physical adversity”, which he clarified to be “diabetes, a brain hemorrhage, skin cancer and Bret’s self-titled ‘headbanger’s neck’.”
Halsey’s The Great Impersonator debuts atop Billboard’s Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts dated Nov. 9. The set earned 93,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Oct. 31, according to Luminate. That sum includes 81,000 via traditional album sales. Halsey previously ruled Top Alternative Albums for […]
Hank Azaria says that learning to sing Bruce Springsteen songs to front his EZ Street Band is “by far the hardest I’ve worked to do any vocal for anything,” even if it is “a genuine joy” for the bona fide Boss fan.
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Still, that’s saying something for a guy who’s won six Primetime Emmy Awards (four of them for voicing numerous characters on The Simpsons, including Moe Szyslak and Chief Wiggum) and has a lengthy resume of film, television, theater and video game roles.
Nevertheless, Azaria assures Billboard that he’s “extremely all-in” on the EZ Street Band. The band hits New York City’s Brooklyn Bowl on Nov. 8 and heads to the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, N.J., on Nov. 15, with more dates to come through 2025. He’s using proceeds from the shows to fund his 4 Through 9 Foundation for social justice, education and recovery causes.
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“I tell stories about myself, as Bruce, on the night,” says Azaria via Zoom, adopting Springsteen’s voice with an earnest, intense expression on his face. “Some of them are what a song means to me. Some of them are just kind of repeating the way Bruce introduced the songs. Some of them are the back stories of how the songs were written that I found fascinating. It creates this evening of theater, of trying to be the best Springsteen band we can be and trying to mimic his vocal and the E Street Band sound as closely as we can. But I’ve never worked harder to prepare for any role I’ve ever done than I did for this.”
Azaria, who’s played a handful of EZ Street Band shows so far — starting with his 60th birthday party at City Winery in New York in April — is hoping there will be an audience for his take on Springsteen. And United Talent Agency, which is booking the shows, is sure of it. “It’s a masterclass of homage,” says UTA’s Ryan Edmundson. “Hank and the band’s devotion to their craft is evident on stage. Their faithful portrayal of the real-life icon Bruce Springsteen honors his legacy in a way we have never seen before. We’re thrilled to introduce the band’s unique artistry to larger audiences.” Glee veteran Michael Novick is managing Azaria’s EZ Street concerns, while his publicist, Seth Cohen, spent nearly a decade as Springsteen’s day-to-day representative with Shorefire Media.
Azaria, who’s met Springsteen twice over the years (more on that later), also received some tacit approval from the man himself.
“A few weeks ago, I got a text from a buddy of mine who’s a dentist in New York,” he says. “He says, ‘Please, please, please, ASAP, send me your favorite video of your band.’ I sent him a video of us doing ‘Thunder Road.’ Later that night he calls me and said Patti Scialfa [Springsteen’s wife and an E Street Band member] was in my dentist chair. I’m like, ‘Omigod, if I’d have known that I assure you I wouldn’t have sent the video.’
“He said he played it for Patti and apparently she loved it. And later that night I got another text saying Patti played it for Bruce and they loved it. They took it for how it’s meant, which was a loving tribute.”
Springsteen and company have an off night when Azaria and the EZ Street Band play the Stone Pony, by the way. But the actor doesn’t need more to get him excited about that particular show. “I can’t wait — it is the mothership,” he says. “Look, I think what carries me through any kind of nerves is this so genuinely comes from this joy of sharing this. I’ve earned my stripes as a Bruce fan.”
Growin’ Up
That devotion dates back to Azaria’s youth, including seeing Springsteen for the first time when The River tour played New York’s Madison Square Garden during 1980. “When I grew up, he was like an uncle — that’s how much I connected to him,” Azaria remembers. “His music and his (in-concert) talks got me through some very hard times as a teenager. I’d say he, almost more than anybody else, encouraged me to try to be a creative person. That was his message to me, for real.”
Azaria got to tell Springsteen about that, too, although neither meeting with Springsteen went quite as he hoped or planned.
While playing “Growin’ Up” during the EZ Street Band shows, Azaria tells the story of when Springsteen came backstage to see him during his Tony Award-nominated run in Monty Python’s Spamalot on Broadway.
“There’s a knock on my door and Bruce is standing there, alone,” Azaria recalls. “I almost had a heart attack. I absolutely lost my mind, to a point. He was very sweet and connected and present. He kinda gave me his review of the show, which he really enjoyed, in detail. We chatted long enough for me to tell him what his music meant to be, but it came out about nine octaves higher than my regular voice and very rushed, kind of screaming at him, as a fan boy. He was very sweet about it, but it was ridiculous.”
The same thing happened, he says, when he attended a Springsteen on Broadway performance and was part of the backstage meet and greet. “Before he could even say hello I started (makes babbling noises). He was very sweet again but kinda patted me on the shoulder and got out of there, and I don’t blame him. My wife just turned to me and said, ‘What is wrong with you?!’ My friend calls it Bruce Juice. It kind of overtakes you.”
Born to Run
The inspiration for the EZ Street Band, Azaria says, was his impending 60th birthday, which “bothered me a bit.” He came up with the idea as “a distraction,” working with keyboardist Adam Kromelow, his son’s former piano teacher, as musical director and studying a wealth of live recordings to familiarize himself with Springsteen’s vocal mannerisms and nuances. “I find that raspy sound he has easier to imitate, and that’s what I’ve always imitated, but (Springsteen) has a lot more than that,” notes Azaria, whose natural singing voice is deeper than Springsteen’s. After employing his well-practiced “homegrown mimicry process” he bought in vocal coach (the EZ Street Band’s Hannah Juliano) to bring him closer to the mark.
“I’m such a singing neophyte that I didn’t realize that these songs were unattainable for me,” acknowledges Azaria, who was had to overcome an anxiety that almost scotched the birthday party performance — where E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg joined the group for a couple of songs. “I started out four or five steps below Bruce; I’ve now kind of, through singing training and practice, worked up to almost at his key, just a step or two below. And the closer you are to his key the more authentic you sound. It’s been a very steep learning curve.”
With the eight-member EZ Street Band, however, he’s found some kindred spirits.
“They are kids in this band,” Azaria says. “They didn’t grow up with this music; only the bass player (Jeff Koch) knew any of it ’cause his dad was a huge fan. They’re all professional musicians, and now they do play it as if they did grow up with it ’cause they’re so good. And one of the joys of this is how much they’re discovering Bruce’s music, and they love it now. They love playing it even more than hearing it. They report to me as musicians how much fun these songs are to play.”
Since the birthday party Azaria and the EZ Streeters have also performed outside of a New York Mets game at CitiField and also at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York. The repertoire is growing: “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Candy’s Room,” “The Price You Pay” and “Jersey Girl” are slated to be played this month, and Azaria voices a desire to take on “The River” and “Atlantic City.” But don’t expect to see the EZ Street Band match the multi-hour extravaganzas that are Springsteen and the E Street Band’s routine.
“We’ll never get there, I promise you that,” Azaria says with a laugh. “An hour 20 (minutes), an hour 30. We’ll never get to two and a half (hours), I don’t think. But it’s getting better and better, and it’s such a joy. People ask me, ‘Do you feel like a rock star up there? Are you living out a rock star fantasy?’ On a certain level I am, but what I much more feel like is what I am, which is a lucky Bruce fan who’s gotten to go up there and share his version of Bruce love with everybody else — with the ability to mimic it better than most have.”
Bruce Springsteen reacted to Tuesday’s presidential election results in the best way he knows how: by singing a song about freedom, hope, love and loss. “This is a fighting prayer for my country,” Springsteen told the crowd at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto as he and the E Street Band launched into the 2007 song “Long Walk Home” from 2007’s Magic album.
With that, the band tore into the mid-tempo rocker whose lyrics felt especially timely in light of Springsteen’s vocal, emphatic support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ losing campaign against former and now future President Donald Trump. “Last night I stood at your doorstep/ Trying to figure out what went wrong,” he sang on the song with the poignant refrain: “It’s gonna be a long walk home/ Hey pretty darling, don’t wait up for me/ Gonna be a long walk home.”
Though he didn’t comment further on the relevance of the song’s themes, their plainspoken poetry did the talking for him. “My father said ‘Son, we’re lucky in this town/ It’s a beautiful place to be born/ It just wraps its arms around you/ Nobody crowds you and nobody goes it alone,’” he sang, followed by another verse layered with Springsteen’s signature dream of a better tomorrow and faith in the resilience of the American spirit: “Your flag flyin’ over the courthouse/ Means certain things are set in stone/ Who we are, what we’ll do and what we won’t.”
Springsteen had been all-in for Harris, throwing his weight behind the 11th-hour candidacy by filming the moving “Hope and Dreams” campaign video in which he said, “This election is about a group of folks who want to fundamentally undermine our American way of life. Donald Trump does not understand this country, its history, or what it means to be deeply American. I want a president who reveres the Constitution, who wants to protect and guide our great democracy, who believes in the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, who will fight for women’s rights and a woman’s right to choose, and who wants to create a middle class economy that serves all our citizens.”
The comments came from an Oct. 28 Harris rally where Springsteen shared the stage with John Legend and former President Barack Obama. That appearance in Philadelphia came just days after The Boss joined a Harris rally in Georgia, where he told supporters that she was “running to be the 47th president of the United States, Donald Trump is running to be an American tyrant.”
Springsteen was one of dozens of musicians, actors and other artists who threw in with the Harris campaign’s attempt to stop twice impeached Trump from being just the second man to serve non-consecutive White House terms, as well as the first convicted felon to ascend to the nation’s highest office.
Watch a fan video of the performance here.
Oasis continue to expand their anticipated 2025 reunion tour. The Gallagher brothers announced the latest dates on their long-awaited get together on Tuesday (Nov. 5), adding five South American stadium shows for next fall. Singer Liam and guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher will touch down in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 15 for the first of two […]
Barry Keoghan stars in the music video for Fontaines D.C.’s new single “Bug,” which was directed by Andrea Arnold. It follows the Irish actor’s music video debut for Sabrina Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100-topping hit “Please Please Please” earlier this year.
The track is the fifth single to be released from Fontaines D.C.’s fourth LP, Romance, which arrived in August via XL Recordings. The accompanying clip includes footage from Arnold’s soon-to-be-released film, Bird, which also stars Franz Rogowski and the Dublin band’s own Carlos O’Connell, among others.
Speaking about the video, which has been billed as a “short form reimagination” of Bird, O’Connell said in a press release, “Andrea Arnold was kind enough to cut up a sequence to our tune ‘Bug’ featuring Barry Keoghan playing the character Bug in her new movie Bird.”
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He added: “In my eyes, the character Bug, the tattoo ‘Bug’s Life,’ Andrea’s essential and romantic worlds, and the line ‘Changed my name to “Promise you, Yea”,’ when put all together make convincing needless and conviction undeniable. Big thanks to Andrea Arnold for letting us in so close to her visionary universe. She’ll be remembered how we remember Bacon or Goya.”
Bird marks the fifth feature-length film from the Academy Award and BAFTA-winning director Arnold, whose past work includes credits on HBO’s Big Little Lies and 2016’s American Honey. The film also stars Nykiya Adams and newcomer Jason Buda, and is slated for release on Nov 8. Fontaines D.C.’s music will feature prominently in its soundtrack, alongside tracks from Coldplay, Blur and The Verve.
“I’ve loved the Fontaines since I first heard them. Some music just sits in your bones like it always belonged, like you know it already, like it’s part of you,” explained Arnold in the release. “It’s why I asked to use ‘Too Real’ and ‘A Hero’s Death’ for my Bird film. Their music felt like it belonged there, in my world.”
Upon the release of Romance, Fontaines D.C. achieved its fourth consecutive top 10 studio album on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart, while it landed at No. 97 in the U.S. – their highest entry to date on the Billboard 200. The band are currently on tour across Europe in support of the record, and will head to Japan, Australia, South America and North America in early 2025.
Speaking to Billboard earlier this year, frontman Grian Chatten discussed the creative leap the band took on Romance, which expands its sound to include elements of nu-metal, pop and string-laden ballads. “I think change was just generally a very enticing thing for us. We wanted to really indulge in something new, and we didn’t want to risk it being only a half-step,” he said. “We always think that we’re pushing the boat out, or taking some new turn, with each record. And I think probably the reality is that it was a lot less of a turn than we thought. But this time, I feel good about it being a full f–kin’ turn.”
Watch the music video for “Bug” below:
Lady Gaga gave her closing argument for electing Kamala Harris President on Monday night (Nov. 4) at an epic rally for the Vice President who is vying to become the nation’s first female commander-in-chief. The singer took the stage in Philadelphia on the eve of Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election day with a crucial message about the nation’s future and a poignant song choice to drive that point home.
“For more than half of this country’s life, women didn’t have a voice,” Gaga, seat at a piano, said after performing Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” in her introductory performance before Harris took the stage just before midnight at the star-studded last rally of her historic campaign. “Yet we raised children. We held our families together. We supported men as they made the decisions. But tomorrow, women will be a part of making this decision,” Gaga continued at the event where she later performed her hit “Edge of Glory” for the 30,000 supporters gathered in the cold at the base of the famous Rocky steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
“Today I am holding in my heart all the tough, tenacious women who made me who I am. I cast my vote for someone who will be a president for all Americans,” Gaga said while speaking to voters in the all-important swing state that could hold the key to victory for Harris — or for rival Donald Trump. “And now, Pennsylvania, it’s your turn. The country is depending on you. So tomorrow make sure all your voices are heard. Come on, let’s go!” she added before introducing Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
The “Vote For Freedom” event hosted by DJ Cassidy — who famously also was behind the decks for the musical DNC roll call this summer — also included the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am performing his new song for Harris, “YES SHE CAN,” as the Democratic candidate asked the gathered crowd, “Are we ready to vote? Are we ready to win?” The roster of guests stumping for Harris also included DJ Jazzy Jeff, Fat Joe and Oprah Winfrey, as well as Ricky Martin, Jazmine Sullivan, Andra Day, DJ D-Nice, the Roots, while twice impeached former President Trump made his final pitch in Pittsburgh.
Sullivan made it personal during a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” telling the crowd, “they’re trying to take away our reproductive freedom. What’ goin’ right now?” In the wake of announcing his support for Harris after a recent Trump rally in New York where a warm-up comedian referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage,” P.R. native Martin fronted a big band for a run through his signature song “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” He also had a poignant message for voters: “Kamala Harris is for us,” he said. “She’s for unity, she’s for all Americans.”
Martin was introduced by Fat Joe, who said he came to represent Puerto Ricans as well. “Kamala Harris is for us. She’s for unity, she’s for all Americans – Black, white, big, small, Latino, you name it,” he said. “She’s for us. One thing I won’t do is sell my soul for anybody. If I’m out here telling you she’s the one, it’s because I know she’s the one.”
With parallel satellite gatherings in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and N. Carolina, the hourslong livestream also had Harris jumping over to Pittsburgh, where Katy Perry played a set of hits, while James Taylor entertained the crowd in Raleigh, N.C. with, naturally, “Carolina On My Mind” as well as “Something in the Way She Moves”; Fantasia, Sugarland and Remi Wolf were also on hand in Raleigh. Jon Bon Jovi beamed in from Michigan to perform the Bon Jovi classic “Living on a Prayer” with The War and Treaty, as well as teaming up for their new song, “The People’s House.”
In addition, 2 Chainz, Keyshia Cole, Anthony Hamilton and Ciara took the stage in Atlanta.
Christina Aguilera was the headliner at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas — along with regional Mexican band Los Tigres Del Norte and dance duo Sofi Tukker — telling the crowd, “Tonight, I’m here in honor of the people who have fought to give us the privilege to be heard. Let’s raise our voices and vote for freedom,” before performing her 2002 single “Fighter,” according to USA Today. Xtina also gave the crowd her power ballad “Beautiful” and her Pitbull collab, “Feel This Moment.”
Before exiting to her campaign’s theme song, Beyoncé’s “Freedom,” Harris told the enthusiastic crowd, “We started this fight 107 days ago. And it has not been a fight against something, but a fight for something. It’s about our love for our country, and our faith in a future that we will build together with energy and joy … Generations of Americans have led the fight for freedom. And now the baton is in our hands.”
Watch highlights from Monday night’s events here and check out footage of Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” at Harris campaign event below, as well as performances from Aguilera and Perry.
.@ladygaga endorses Kamala Harris: “Today, I’m holding in my heart all the tough, tenacious women who made me who I am. I cast my vote for someone who will be a president for all Americans. Tomorrow, let’s make sure all your voices are heard” pic.twitter.com/utTBhpIHIU— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) November 5, 2024
.@KatyPerry endorses Kamala Harris: “Four years ago, I became a mother… She is the reason I am voting for Kamala Harris. I know she will protect my daughter’s future and your children’s future” pic.twitter.com/P0hVeUnUuz— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) November 5, 2024
Miami and New Jersey come together as global superstar Pitbull joins forces with Bon Jovi again for a new remix of the band’s classic “It’s My Life,” Billboard Español can announce. The collaboration, titled “Now Or Never,” will be released on Nov. 14, the same day of the 2024 Latin Grammys. Explore See latest videos, […]