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Xavi: Sacrificing His Youth to Lead Latin Music’s Next Wave | Billboard Cover

Billboard cover star & the ‘Future of Latin’ singer Xavi is making his mark. The young singer is sacrificing his youth to put in the work to take over the Latin music, and he shares how he first started getting into music, how he created “La Diabla,” why he’s putting love and passion into his music and more!

Xavi:

Yes, sir. We speaking English today. Hey Phoenix, Arizona, is where we at. Billboard! I grew up listening to Vicente Fernandez, Selena, you know, the typical music where like, that’s what my mom would wake me up to, you know, like she would be cleaning and she would put on Selena, Vicente. You know, I feel like I just grew up with all that music and then going to the U.S., there was a whole different world, you know. And I got to, like, hear Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar and a lot of other ones, you know. I was, like, I was a little kid, so I would, like, dress up, yeah, I don’t know. I just really liked his music and like style. Instead of, like, expressing my emotions, I expressed it through music.

Lyndsey Havens:

Do you remember the first time that you actually started writing out lyrics for your own music?

Oh my gosh, it was a long time ago, but yeah, I do remember. I was 12, and I remember I would just like freestyle songs and stuff, and so, like, I got to a point where I was like, Wait, why am I not writing this, you know? So I started writing it, and I didn’t have the best handwriting, you know, but we made it work, and we wrote a little song, but it’s an old, old, old song. I don’t even remember it, but yeah, I was told when I wrote my first song.

Keep watching for more!

Carrie Underwood Speaks Out About Performing at Trump’s Inauguration | Billboard News

Carrie Underwood is speaking out after receiving backlash following the announcement that she will be performing at Trump’s inauguration. Keep watching to see what she had to say!

Tetris Kelly:

The internet found out Carrie Underwood would be singing at Trump’s inauguration and it’s causing a roar of online backlash and she’s spoken out. After it hit the ‘net that Carrie would be performing “America the Beautiful” as Trump becomes president again, the most popular response was internet trolls saying now they know why he cheated, or that they hope he cheats again, referencing her Billboard hit. And that’s not it… Some fans were quick to point out they think Kelly Clarkson as the better American Idol. And even a well-known Carrie Underwood fan page rebranded to support country singer Megan Moroney. After the frenzy, Underwood said to us in a statement: “I love our country and am honored to have been asked to sing at the inauguration and to be a small part of this historic event. I am humbled to answer the call at a time when we must all come together in the spirit of unity and looking to the future.”

Ye Teases ‘Bully’ & Declares Himself ‘The GOAT of GOATs’ | Billboard News

Ye calls himself “the GOAT of GOATs” while seeing success from his self-produced Yeezy slides, and he teased his upcoming ‘Bully’ project. Keep watching for all the details.

Tetris Kelly:

Ye calls himself the GOAT and teases new music. Ye has officially taken to Instagram to declare himself “the GOAT of GOATs.” After what seems to be a successful launch of his latest self-produced Yeezy slides, the Chicago-born rapper and designer had this to say: “The GOAT of all GOATs of any goat that was ever goated. Your favorite goat’s favorite goat. Your dad’s dad tell ya mom you got a new dad…”

In a recent IG story, Ye boasted that his new slides made over $2 million in sales in 24 hours. And it seems like Yeezy isn’t done there. Ye has teased his upcoming ‘Bully’ project with two cryptic posts on IG: one with the world-famous Tony Williams, and another signaling a reunion with his longtime production engineer Mike Dean. From the looks of things, 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Ye. For updates on everything music, stay locked here at Billboard.

Beyoncé Delays Announcement, The Weeknd Pauses Album Release & More | Billboard News

Amidst the L.A. wildfires, The Weeknd has delayed his Hurry Up Tomorrow album drop and canceled its accompanying show, while Beyoncé paused her announcement that had been scheduled for Jan. 14. Keep watching to see the events that have been delayed or canceled due to the ongoing wildfires.  

Tetris Kelly:
Beyoncé pauses her big announcement as fires blaze through California, as well as The Weeknd delays and changes plans, and some Grammy events are canceled. We have the updates. After Beyoncé’s big Christmas Netflix and NFL performance, she released an ad hyping up a surprise on Jan. 14, but with tragedy on the minds of many, she released this statement:

“The January 14th announcement will be postponed to a later date due to the devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires around areas of Los Angeles. To join our efforts in supporting those impacted, please visit BeyGOOD. Love, B”

Which is leading fans to believe it was a tour that would be announced that would have required financial commitment. And with the Grammys around the corner, The Recording Academy announced the show will continue on Feb. 2 while raising funds for wildfire relief, while some labels like Universal Music Group have canceled their Grammy-related events.

Also, The Weeknd has delayed the Jan. 24 release of his Hurry Up Tomorrow album to Jan. 31, and canceled its accompanying Jan. 25 Rose Bowl concert.

We will continue to keep you posted on how these fires affect the music industry at large. And for more info on how to get involved, head to Billboard.com.

BossMan Dlow’s ‘Dlow Curry’ Album, Tour Plans, “Get In With Me” Success | Billboard News

BossMan Dlow’s 2024 was filled with back to back hits, and he ended the year with the album, ‘Dlow Curry.’ The rapper shares how he plans to tour ‘Dlow Curry,’ his secret to creating hits, why he felt the need to create “The Biggest Pt. 2” and more!

Kyle Denis:

What’s up y’all it’s Kyle Denis, staff writer at Billboard, and I am here with Big Za himself, BossMan DLow, how are you doing today my guy? 

BossMan Dlow”

Chilling bro, chilling, for sure. 

How’s that New York weather treating you? 

I ain’t going to lie, cold. Cold at first. I’m straight now.

You know, it’s been a very, very productive year for you. Talk to us a little bit about “The Biggest Pt. 2.” How did that song come together? And why did you think “The Biggest” needed a sequel? 

I don’t know, bro, I forgot how I even heard that beat. Man, I don’t know, but it came on. I just, you know, I felt the vibe to the beat. 

It woke up something in you. 

Yeah, it woke me up. So I went in there, because you know I don’t write. I just go in there and just go off the tone, so when I sat down I was like “Got her lookin’ at me like/ ‘Bae, you the biggest’”  I just ended up calling it that for real for real That’s how it went. 

You’ve had a crazy run of hits this year, “Get In With Me,” “Mr Pot Scraper,” “Talk My Sh*t,” “Shake Dat A**” “2 Slippery,” “SportsCenter.” I could keep going. Did any of those surprise you by how big they became? 

All of them to be real. 

Yeah? 

How big “”Get In With Me” was kind of that was the most shocking one because it was like, I put that song to the side.

Keep watching for more!

Zach Top: Bringing Back Old-School Country Music in a Modern World | Billboard Cover

Billboard cover star and the ‘Future of Country’ rep Zach Top is bringing ’90s country music back. The crooner explains why he thinks his “I Never Lie” became successful, the accidental start of a band with his siblings, how he’s developed his style and more!

Zach Top:

I wanted to be a cowboy really bad. And my parents definitely realized, and I think I realized at some point that I was no good at being an actual cowboy, so maybe the closest I could get was to sing about them. Obviously, I’ve got, you know, sonically reminiscent sort of thing going on from the ’90s stuff, but it’s kind of – I feel like I cut my teeth on the same stuff that the ’90s guys cut theirs on. For one thing, I’m honored that people see me as, you know, sort of a spearhead or a leader back towards traditional country music, or country music the way that I fell in love with it, and, you know, still love. It’s a fun spot to be in. I think it’s a lot of just the right place, right time sort of a thing. You know, country has always been… country Music has always been cyclical. It kind of, you know, we’ve got our bread and butter, the roots, the traditions where we came from, and something new and, you know, a little edgy comes along, and everybody gets excited about that for good reason. And you know, kind of run with that for a little while, until people are like, yeah, but this is where we came from, and let’s get back to it a little bit. And so I think I came along at the right time for that. I was playing piano before I played guitar, but for whatever reason, I didn’t have a whole lot of interest in Chopin and Bach and Beethoven and stuff like that.

Keep watching for more!

Lil Baby’s ‘WHAM’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 & Bad Bunny Announces Residency | Billboard News

Lil Baby takes over the No. 1 spot of the Billboard 200 with ‘WHAM’ and Bad Bunny closely follows at No. 2 with ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos,’ and also announces a residency. Keep watching for more! 

Tetris Kelly:

Lil Baby debuts at No. 1 as Bad Bunny still slays on streaming and announces a residency. We have your album updates. Lil Baby collects his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as ‘WHAM’ opens atop the list earning 140,000 equivalent album units. And right behind him at No. 2 is Bad Bunny. ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ starts at No. 2 with 122,000 equivalent album units earned. It also debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Streaming Albums chart. And you might be going from streaming the album to hearing it live. Bad Bunny announced a 21-date residency at the iconic Coliseo de Puerto Rico is set to kick off July 11. Are you excited and already booking your flights? Let us know in the comments.

Beyoncé Donates $2.5 Million to Aid in L.A. Wildfire Relief & Heidi Montag Hits No. 1 on iTunes | Billboard News

Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation donated $2.5 million to L.A. Fire Relief Fund, and after Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt los their home in the fire, Montag’s Superficial album hit No. 1 on iTunes. Keep watching for all the details!

Tetris Kelly:
Beyoncé provides aid in the wake of L.A.’s wildfires as reality couple Heidi and Spencer see the fires take them up the charts. The alarms have rung throughout L.A., and Beyoncé is answering the call. Beyoncé’s BeyGood Foundation donates $2.5 million to L.A. Fire Relief Fund to assist families. The donation is earmarked for those in Altadena and Pasadena who have lost homes, as well as to churches and community centers.

And Spencer and Heidi, originally from The Hills TV show, lost their home in the fires, and Spencer has seen his social media grow and rallied his fans to get his wife Heidi’s 15-year-old Superficial album to No. 1 on iTunes. And now the goal? A Billboard No. 1.

The Weeknd & FERG Talk Changing Their Names | Billboard News

The Weeknd reflected on retiring his The Weeknd persona, and Ferg — formerly ASAP Ferg — explains why he’s changed his name. Keep watching to see what both singers had to say about making the changes to their name!

Tetris Kelly:
Are The Weeknd and ASAP Ferg calling it quits? During a recent interview with Variety, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, says that he’s considering retiring The Weeknd moniker after his latest album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

In the article, the “Dancing in the Flames” singer states:

“It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”

The Weeknd assures fans that while this next chapter may see the end of The Weeknd, it doesn’t mean that he will stop making music. He said, “I don’t think I can stop doing that, but everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd — whatever that is — it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona …”

While speaking to journalist Toure on his Toure Show, ASAP Ferg announced that he has removed “ASAP” from his name.

Ferg:
I feel like if we aren’t putting out no music or new time stamps then there’s no ASAP. So right now it’s Ferg.

Tetris Kelly:
Though Ferg states that ASAP Mob is no more, he notes that everyone is still on good terms.

Keep watching for more!

Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 Countdown for Jan. 18, 2025 | Billboard News

Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” holds strong at No. 1.

Tetris Kelly:
This is the Billboard. Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated Jan. 18th. Down to 10 is “Espresso,” as is “I Had Some Help” to No. 9, and “That’s So True” to eight, Kendrick and SZA are still at seven, while “Lose Control” slips to six. Bruno and ROSÉ are locked at five, as Morgan’s “Smile” shoots up to four. The top three sees Billie hanging in at three, while Shaboozey holds on to the runner-up slot. And grabbing a second week at No. 1 are Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.

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