Month: June 2022

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

Residente Makes History

This week, Rene “Residente” Perez received the “Grand Prix for Entertainment Lions for Music” award at Cannes Lions for his powerful music video “This Is Not America” featuring French-Cuban duo Ibeyi. Awarded to Doomsday Entertainment and Sony Music Latin, this grand prize makes Residente the first Sony Music Latin artist to receive this honor. In his four-minute single, the Puerto Rican rapper takes aim at politicians, the police, and U.S. imperialism, narrating years of injustices and violence toward the people of Latin America. Throughout the track, he drives home an important point: America is not simply the U.S. The music video also won best director, best music video, and best video effects at the Berlin MVA and best video at the AICP Awards.

Wow… A truly powerful music video for the song This is Not America. Congratulations @DoomsdayEnt and @SonyMusicLatin for the Grand Prix win in the Entertainment Lions for Music category. #CannesLions2022 https://t.co/tCSN1vq70y pic.twitter.com/lYaQeiG3Yn

— LIONS | The Home of Creativity (@Cannes_Lions) June 21, 2022

Llane’s Debut Album

Colombian singer-songwriter Llane (real name: Juan David Castaño) has finally dropped his debut studio album, three years after announcing he was going solo. The former Piso 21 singer now presents 10 tracks that best capture his musical flow: fresh, positive and very popetón (pop and urban). In Fino (Warner Music Mexico), Llane teams up with collaborators Zion, Manuel Turizo, Danny Ocean, Boza, Khea, Alvaro Diaz, Omar Montes and Masego. “We began a new phase of an album full of feelings and emotions that is something we all live and overcome in the stages of love and life,” he said in a press statement. “As an artist I feel very proud of the wonderful songs that are part of my album.” Stream and listen to Fino below:

Bad Bunny on Bullet Train

In March, it was announced that Bad Bunny was set to join Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Michael Shannon and more in the upcoming Bullet Train movie. Now, Sony Pictures unleashed the official character posters, which include the Puerto Rican artist as The Wolf. In it, Bunny will play a hitman, part of an ensemble cast of assassins, all with connected, though conflicting, objectives. And all of them riding a nonstop bullet train in Japan. Bullet Train is set to hit theaters later this year on Aug. 5.

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Karol G’s Winning Streak

If her debut studio album’s title is any indication, Karol G is unstoppable. This week, the Colombian star won big at the 2022 Premios Tu Music Urbana fan-voted awards, where she nabbed 11 prizes, including artist of the year, top social artist, and best tour. Though the singer was not present at the ceremony in Puerto Rico, which broadcast live for the first time on Telemundo, she surely got the memo. “I’m very happy for all of these awards,” she said via a video message. “Thank you PR and to everyone who voted for me.” She also explained she did not attend the awards because she was out of the country working on a lot of new projects.

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Cultura Profetica in Retrospective

In honor of their 25th anniversary, Cultura Profetica announced they will have an anniversary concert at the renowned Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan on Aug. 13. To celebrate the news, the Latin Grammy-winning reggae group hosted an exhibition at the UPR Theater in Rio Pedras that took fans back in their career. “We showed a lot of band memorabilia and historical photos that capture our 25 artistic years. We had a real-life tbt,” the group posted on Instagram.

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Kelly Clarkson won two more Daytime Emmys on Friday (June 24) – outstanding entertainment talk show and outstanding entertainment talk show host. In the three seasons that her popular daytime talk show has been on the air, Clarkson has won five Daytime Emmys. By comparison, she has won three Grammys in her entire career.

Clarkson has won outstanding entertainment talk show host all three seasons her show has been on the air. Kelly Ripa is the only other host who has won three times in the category, and her wins weren’t consecutive.

Clarkson’s show, which launched in September 2019, won five Daytime Emmys at last week’s Creative Arts Awards, for a total of seven for its third season on the air. That’s more than the show won in its first two seasons combined. (It won three awards in each of its first two seasons.)

But Clarkson wasn’t present at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, Calif., to accept her awards. Her producers explained her absence by saying she’s taking the entire summer off to spend time with her children. That’s admirable, of course, but taking a few hours out to support the top award in your industry is also worthwhile.

Gloria Estefan, who, like Clarkson, has amassed three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, lost in her category – outstanding informative talk show host. She was nominated along with her daughter Emily Estefan and niece Lili Estefan for Red Table Talk: The Estefans (Facebook Watch). The award in that category went to Tamron Hall, host of her own syndicated show. In accepting the award, Hall recalled that she was a latchkey kid who grew up watching daytime television, so it means a lot to her to have succeeded in the field.

Jeopardy! won outstanding game show for a record 19th time — and the third year in a row. This three-year stretch included the death of longtime host Alex Trebek; the public tryouts of various replacement hosts; the eventual hiring of Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings; and this season’s succession of all-time champions — Amy Schneider (40 wins), Matt Amodio (38) and Mattea Roach (23).

Steve Harvey won his third award for hosting Family Feud. Richard Dawson, the original host of the long-running show, won just once (in 1978). Unfairly, it seems, Pat Sajak had to compete with himself in the category this year. He was nominated for both the syndicated Wheel of Fortune and ABC’s Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.

Entertainment Tonight won outstanding entertainment news show for the fifth time. Two of that show’s hosts, Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, co-hosted the Daytime Emmys.

Michael Bolton sang “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You,” which in 1990 became his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, over the In Memoriam spot. The tearjerker ballad, which Bolton co-wrote with Doug James, was an apt choice for the spot. Bolton was given a second spot later in the show to sing a new song, “Beautiful World.”

There was a tribute package to the hosts of two long-running shows that ended their runs this year – Ellen DeGeneres and Maury Povich. The juxtaposition of the two shows elevated Povich’s stature and diminished DeGeneres’. This year marked the first time that DeGeneres’ show was not nominated for outstanding entertainment talk show (or its predecessor category, outstanding talk show).

Mishael Morgan became the first Black actress to win outstanding performance by a lead actress in a drama series for her role as Amanda Sinclair on The Young and the Restless (CBS).

John Aniston, who has acted in TV since 1962 and has played Victor Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives since 1985, won a lifetime achievement award. The award was presented on video by his daughter Jennifer, who has also had some success in television. John Aniston, 88, wasn’t present to receive his award.

The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974. The 49th annual Daytime Emmy Awards were produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI). Adam Sharp and Steve Ulrich were executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie was executive producer from ATI.

Here’s a list of nominations and winners in all categories presented on tonight’s show except daytime dramas (which are a world unto themselves).

Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host
Drew Barrymore, The Drew Barrymore Show, Syndicated
WINNER: Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Syndicated
Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush-Hager , Today Show with Hoda & Jenna, NBC
Kelly Ripa, Ryan Seacrest, Live with Kelly and Ryan, Syndicated

Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host
Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, Lili Estefan, Red Table Talk: the Estefans, Facebook Watch
Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Ana Navarro, Meghan McCain, The View, ABC
WINNER: Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall, Syndicated
Taraji P. Henson, Tracie Jade, Peace of Mind with Taraji, Facebook Watch
Robin Roberts, Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts, Disney+

Outstanding Game Show Host
Wayne Brady, Let’s Make a Deal, CBS
WINNER: Steve Harvey, Family Feud, Syndicated
Leah Remini, People Puzzler, Game Show Network
Pat Sajak, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, ABC
Pat Sajak, Wheel of Fortune, Syndicated

Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show
The Drew Barrymore Show, Syndicated
Hot Ones, Complex Networks
WINNER: The Kelly Clarkson Show, Syndicated
Live with Kelly and Ryan, Syndicated
Today Show with Hoda & Jenna, NBC

Outstanding Informative Talk Show
GMA3: What You Need to Know, ABC
Peace of Mind with Taraji, Facebook Watch
Red Table Talk, Facebook Watch
Red Table Talk: the Estefans, Facebook Watch
Tamron Hall, Syndicated
WINNER: Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts, Disney+

Outstanding Game Show
Family Feud (Syndicated)
WINNER: Jeopardy! (Syndicated)
Let’s Make a Deal (CBS)
The Price Is Right (CBS)
Wheel of Fortune (Syndicated)

Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood, Syndicated
WINNER: Entertainment Tonight, Syndicated
Extra, Syndicated
Inside Edition, Syndicated

Britney Spears sent the Internet into a frenzy when she re-created her legendary kiss with Madonna from the 2003 MTV VMAs during her June 9 wedding reception.

The pop princess shared the photo via Instagram on Friday (June 24), gushing over her “Me Against the Music” collaborator’s attendance at her big day, and Madonna’s illustrious music career.

“Weird that @madonna is extremely short and I was shorter than her … do we shrink as we get older … am I becoming short like my mom ???” Spears captioned the snap. “Kissing the one and only Madonna !!! I didn’t know Madonna has almost as many number-one singles as The Beatles !!! So honored she came to my wedding … perspective … The Beatles have 20 and miss thang has 12 !!! Wow wow wow  !!!”

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Madonna has had 12 singles top the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart throughout her career, her first being 1984’s “Like a Virgin” and most recent being 2000’s “Music.” Spears herself is also no stranger to having a string of No. 1 hits, with five Hot 100 chart-toppers under her belt.

While the superstar duo’s collaboration, “Me Against the Music,” didn’t hit No. 1, it peaked at No. 35 on the Hot 100 dated Nov. 29, 2003, and spent an impressive 13 weeks total on the chart.

After Spears’ wedding to longtime partner Sam Asghari, the pop star and Madge had some fun after the ceremony singing another one of Madonna’s No. 1 hits, “Vogue,” alongside Paris Hilton, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore and Donatella Versace, who designed the “Piece of Me” singer’s custom off-the-shoulder wedding gown.

Lizzo is taking action after nearly 50 years of reproductive rights were snatched away on Friday (June 24) when the United States Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that protected a woman’s federal right to have an abortion. As a result of the ruling, an expected 23 states will make abortion illegal nearly immediately.

The “Grrrls” singer is set to embark on her tour in support of her upcoming album Special this fall, and she pledged to donate $500,000 to Planned Parenthood and the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) from the profits.

“Live Nation agreed to match— to make it 1 MILLION dollars,” she tweeted.

I’m pledging $500k from my upcoming tour to Planned Parenthood. Live Nation agreed to match— to make it 1 MILLION dollars

— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) June 24, 2022

We are going to give proceeds to @AbortionFunds as well! Thank you! https://t.co/7AhO6x10ez

— FOLLOW @YITTY (@lizzo) June 24, 2022

“The most important thing is action & loud voices,” she added in a follow-up tweet. “@PPFA @AbortionFunds & organizations like them— will need funding to continue offering services to people who are most harmed by this ban.”

States can now decide what a woman can do with her body – and it’s expected that abortion will be illegal in at least 16 states moving forward. At least 21 states have laws or constitutional amendments already in place in an attempt to ban abortions, according to CNN.

NNAF works to “remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice,” according to their website.

Since TWICE‘s 2015 arrival on the scene, Nayeon has been known as the face of the group, becoming one of the most recognizable members of the crossover K-pop act. Now, Nayeon takes her enormous appeal to the masses with the release of her first solo album.

Released globally on Friday (June 24), the EP cleverly titled Im Nayeon (her full name but also acts as the introduction “I’m Nayeon”) honors all parts of the charming singer-songwriter with a refreshing twist that spotlights her true superstar appeal. 

Nayeon’s debut solo single “Pop!” recalls the feel-good K-pop anthems that TWICE became famous for but now with punches of exuberant brass acting as an excellent match to the star’s sugary vocals. No expenses seemed withheld to bring “Pop!” to life in the music video, with Nayeon leading dance troupes through massive sets mixing luxury brands with whimsical accessories. Visually striking herself, Nayeon has newly blonde hair and experimented with her makeup to come off at times almost as an entirely new pop supernova in the music video.

Prominent names across the global-pop world also came together for this release: Stray Kids rapper and Australian native Felix pops up as a feature on the English track “No Problem”; Jade Thirlwall of British girl group Little Mix worked on the bubblegum cut “Candyfloss”; Korean rapper Wonstein hops on the R&B-pop track “Love Countdown”; while the Hot 100-topping production team The Stereotypes and American singer-songwriter Destiny Rogers composed emotional standout “All or Nothing” with Nayeon as its sole songwriter. 

TWICE has climbed up the Billboard 200 with four entries to date, including two top 10 entries, scoring new chart peaks with each release and most recently hitting a new high of No. 3 last November with their Formula Of Love: O+T=<3 full-length album. Along with support from U.S. label Republic Records and TWICE’s large fanbase — which helped them become the first female K-pop act to book a stadium show in America — it will be exciting to see how Nayeon performs stateside through this significant solo moment as the group approaches its milestone seventh anniversary.

Mariah Carey is thinking of the future for her 11-year-old daughter Monroe after the United States Supreme Court on Friday (June 24) overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected a woman’s choice to have an abortion.

“It is truly unfathomable and disheartening to have to try to explain to my 11 year old daughter why we live in a world where women’s rights are disintegrating in front of our eyes,” she tweeted.

Carey shares Monroe and her twin brother Moroccan with ex-husband Nick Cannon.

It is truly unfathomable and disheartening to have to try to explain to my 11 year old daughter why we live in a world where women’s rights are disintegrating in front of our eyes.

— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) June 24, 2022

States can now decide what a woman can do with her body – and it’s expected that abortion will be illegal in at least 16 states moving forward. At least 21 states have laws or constitutional amendments already in place in an attempt to ban abortions, according to CNN.

The vote was 5-4 in favor of overturning Roe. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

Halsey is the latest artist to speak out against Friday’s (June 24) Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, a nearly 5o-year-old case that protected a woman’s federal right to have an abortion. As a result of the ruling, an expected 23 states will make abortion illegal nearly immediately.

“I have been advocating for abortion, reproductive rights, and bodily integrity for as long as I’ve had a platform and I’m running out of ways to word and frame the severity of the impact that fundamentalism has on our country,” the star tweeted hours after the decision was announced. “I know some of you look to my page for information or guidance but I need a little bit of time to speak to some people with more authority and experience than me and gather my thoughts. I don’t want to just contribute to antagonistic noise. I’m just defeated at the moment.”

I know some of you look to my page for information or guidance but I need a little bit of time to speak to some people with more authority and experience than me and gather my thoughts. I don’t want to just contribute to antagonistic noise. I’m just defeated at the moment.

— h (@halsey) June 24, 2022

Last month, to kick of their tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, Halsey rolled a video during the intro to the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power track “Nightmare,” running down some statistics and facts about the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and the state of abortion in the country. It ended with the statistic that nearly 1 in 3 women will have an abortion in their lifetime before exploding into giant white letters featuring the “Nightmare” lyric “so save me your f—ing prayers!”

Following the leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting that the conservative majority justices are preparing to overturn Roe in May, the singer called the overturn “a catastrophic shift in our fundamental rights to bodily autonomy and reproductive health care. We are constituents and we have the right and responsibility to fight this.”

Going to a Powfu show is a lot like hanging out with a childhood friend for the evening. For his first-ever tour following the TikTok-viral success of “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head),” the 23-year-old Canadian singer (real name Isaiah Faber) created a warm, welcoming environment for his group of devoted fans – not unlike the sense of comfort that his 2020 hit brought for millions of listeners during one of the most unpredictable periods of time in history.

You’d never think it was Faber’s first series of live gigs, given his impressive vocal ability throughout the robust 24-song set at Antone’s Nightclub in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday night (June 22). He also oozes natural onstage charisma, full of candid conversations with attendees in the front row and a dry sense of humor, balanced with raw moments of vulnerability.

“I really appreciate you coming out here. It means a lot to me,” he shared with the crowd before performing “I Could Never Be Loved,” which he revealed was one of the first songs he’d ever written. “When I wrote it, I was in a weird spot in life. I was working a part-time job, waking up, doing the same thing every day. I’d get home, I played video games, I was making music a little bit. I didn’t have a girlfriend. I didn’t even know what a relationship was like. I didn’t have any friends or hang out with anyone, and I just felt like I wasn’t doing anything with my life. I felt pretty lonely and sad, but I wanted to change that.”

“So, basically, I started reading, started trying to find new friends, I quit my job that I didn’t like, I found a new job. I started to change what my life was. I’m happy I did that, because a lot of good things came from it. I ended up finding a wife, I made a bunch of friends, I’m now touring the United States which is crazy,” he continued. “Most importantly, I’m feeling happier and I don’t feel alone. I know there’s situation you guys are in that you probably can’t change, or you feel like you’re stuck in and you might feel hopeless. If you keep your eyes open and you stay searching and stay patient, there will be doors that open. It’s going to be scary but change is what you need to do, right? If you don’t change, change isn’t going to happen. Be cautious, be ready and take that leap of faith.”

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And like hanging out with a pal, between these heart-to-heart conversations is a whole lot of fun. While performing onstage in front of a series of anime-inspired onscreen visuals, rocking a Hunter X Hunter t-shirt, Faber chose fans from the crowd to take part in a nostalgic Beyblade competition. The chosen ones, two exhilarated teenagers named Danny and Austin, stood in the center of a fan-made circle in the crowd, crouching over a toy arena and each holding one of the early 2000’s-era spinning top toys. Isaiah’s music director and onstage instrumentalist Eric promptly began playing the theme song from the beloved Japanese television series as the crowd shouted out, “Let it rip!” After a quick but intense Beyblade battle, Danny came out victorious and Faber took the t-shirt off his back (literally) and threw it into the crowd for a lucky concertgoer to keep.

To wrap up the set, Faber performed fan-favorite track “Sleeping on the Floor” and, of course, “Death Bed,” his Beabadoobee-assisted hit that peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, skyrocketing Powfu from Abbotsford, Canada’s talented kid-next-door to certified rock star.

Despite that newfound star status, Faber is really still his fans’ best friend. After the show, the entire venue of supporters — some of whom drove more than six hours to see the set — stood in line to meet the artist, who spoke at length with each individual attendee alongside show openers Ouse and Snøw, taking selfies and earnestly expressing his appreciation for every single person who came out to see him. Faber’s devotion to kindness and humility allows his star power to extend beyond his art, leaving us wanting to hang out with him again and again in the years to come.

See Powfu’s entire setlist below, which included the Travis Barker collaboration “Mario Kart” and the love song “A Castle by the Sea” dedicated to his wife Tashi, plus a cover of Plain White T’s 2006 hit, “Hey There Delilah.”

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I Can’t Sleep
Mario Kart
Future Diary
The Way That You See Me
I Could Never Be Loved
Days We Had
Stay4Ever
Too Many Problems
Snowflake
Breakups Suck Ass
Hey There Delilah (Plain White T’s Cover)
Holy Spirit
A Castle By the Sea
The Fire in Your Eyes
Laying on My Porch
I’ll Come Back to You
Would Look Perfect
I’m Used to It
Dead Eyes (with Ouse)
MindUrManners
Death Bed (Coffee For Your Head)
Sleeping On the Floor

A lot of heavy-hitters released brand-new music this week — from Taylor Swift to Lil Nas X to BTS‘ youngest member teaming up with Charlie Puth — but which is your favorite?

Let’s start with Swift, who dropped her haunting original song “Carolina,” written for the upcoming film adaptation of the beloved novel Where the Crawdads Sing. Next up is Lil Nas X, who continues to air his grievances with BET after getting zero nominations for Sunday’s BET Awards through his heated new song “Late to Da Party,” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again.

Then there’s Puth, who lined up BTS’ Jungkook for a feature on his new song “Left and Right,” his third single release this year, following “Light Switch” and “That’s Hilarious.” Staying on the pop front, we also have a new album from Conan Gray, with his dreamy new release Superache.

Over in Nashville, Luke Combs dropped his third studio album Growin’ Up, which includes the Country Airplay No. 1 hit “Doin’ This.” Then there’s Giveon‘s latest album — his debut! — which follows his years-long ascent to R&B superstardom.

But if you could only choose one of these songs or albums to keep on repeat all weekend, who are you putting your weight behind? Vote below to let us know which new release this week reigns supreme.