Month: September 2022

It’s five in-a-row for 5 Seconds of Summer, as the pop-punk favorites blast to No. 1 in Australia with 5SOS5.

The Aussie band has led the ARIA Chart with every album release, dating back to their 2014 self-titled debut, and including Sounds Good Feels Good (2015), Youngblood (2018) and CALM (2020); their live album LiveSOS from 2014 reached No. 7.

It’s a third successive homegrown title to bow at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, following Parkway Drive’s Darker Still and Meg Mac’s Matter of Time.

“What an incredible three weeks for Australian albums, congratulations to 5 Seconds of Summer on the success of their new album and an incredible decade of music loved across the world,” comments Annabelle Herd, CEO of ARIA, in a statement. “We are so proud of 5SOS and the success they continue to have globally, and we can’t wait to see them back touring in Australia later this year.”

Meanwhile, Robbie Williams vaults 19-2 on the ARIA Chart with XXV, after his performance last weekend at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the AFL Grand Final. XXV, which celebrates the former Take That star’s 25th year as a solo artist, recently opened at No. 1 on the U.K. chart for his 14th leader, a record for a solo artist.

Further down the Australian list, published Friday (Sept. 30), Seth Sentry sees his ARIA Award-nominated LP This Was Tomorrow make a flying return. The set bounces to No. 11 as the Aussie hip-hop artist hits the road for the record’s 10th anniversary tour. This Was Tomorrow originally peaked at No. 6 following its release in 2012.

There’s a new No. 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart as Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” hits the summit at its first attempt.

It’s Smith’s second No. 1 here, after ”Too Good At Goodbyes” logged two weeks at the top in September-October 2017 (and 21 weeks in the top 50), and their first top 10 appearance since 2019’s ”How Do You Sleep.”

“Unholy” is Smith’s 14th top 40 single in Australia, seven of which cracked the top 10.

“Unholy” unseats David Guetta & Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” down 1-2, while OneRepublic’s “I Ain’t Worried” holds at No. 3.

While artists such as Christina Aguilera, Chayanne, Raphael, and Nicky Jam received special awards, and Bad Bunny swept the categories at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards, others revealed exciting news on the red carpet Thursday night (Sept. 29).

Below, check out seven things you didn’t see on TV:

1. Edgar Barrera revealed that he’s been writing music for Grupo Firme and is working on Maluma’s upcoming album, which will be a pop set.

2. Speaking of albums, Ovy on the Drums, Karol G’s longtime producer, revealed that he’s been working on the “Provenza” singer’s upcoming fourth studio album. “For me, at a personal level, it’s one of the best productions I’ve done in my career,” he said.

3. When asked about giving back to the community after the devastating Hurricane in Puerto Rico, Rauw Alejandro said: “I was broke during Hurricane Maria and I was starting my career. I didn’t have water and light for two months with my family. I know what it feels like. Now that God has given me the opportunity to be in this position, the first thing I thought of when the hurricane [Fiona] passed, was how I was there too. I called Eric [Duars] and told him we had to help immediately because if we wait for the government, we’ll get to Christmas with no light or water. So, I had to help however I could.”

4. On the red carpet, Calibre 50 chimed in on the Regional Mexican vs Mexican Music debate. Should the genre get a new name? “We love being called regional Mexican,” the group said. “As long as they never take out the ‘Mexican’ part from the title, we’re good.”

5. Eslabon Armado shared what it was like to record a duet with Juan Gabriel for his new, posthumously-released album, Los Duo Vol. 3. “It was as if he was there in the studio with us,” the teenage group said about recording “Mía Un Año.”

6. Rocking a gorgeous black gown that showed off his small chest and shoulder tattoos, Mexican influencer, artist, and TikTok star, Kunno, did not hold back from flaunting his best TikTok moves to Karol G’s “Gatubela.”

7. Becky G reacted to her first Latin Airplay No. 1 hit as a solo act with “Baile Con Mi Ex,” saying she had no idea about it until her fans posted it on social media. “I screamed and woke up my man,” she said. “I was so emotional.” Earlier this year, Becky G scored her scores her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart with “Bailé Con Mi Ex,” becoming just the third No. 1 by a female soloist in 2022, after two Karol G coronations: “Sejodioto” (Feb. 12) and “Provenza” (July 9).

The 29th annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place at Miami’s Watsco Center, are broadcasting live on Telemundo and simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

The awards — produced by MBS Special Events and executive produced by Mary Black Suarez — coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returned to Miami from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at the Faena Forum, with a roster of star speakers that included Romeo Santos, Maluma, Grupo Firme, Chayanne, Ivy Queen and Nicky Jam, among many others.

Need a factoid to make you feel positively ancient? Consider, M.I.A.’s debut single “Galang” from Arular turns 20 next year. True story, and almost impossible to comprehend.

Before the anniversary signs flash up, M.I.A. should make a long overdue return with MATA, her forthcoming sixth studio album. It’s expected to drop “any day now,” according to reps from Island Records, which will release the set through a recently-announced global deal.

Before that happens, M.I.A. gives us “Beep,” a confident self-inspection and a exotic deep-dive exploration of percussion, on which she sings and raps, “Yeah I’m bringing someone new/There’s no limit/I’m tryna feel it/Every time I see you/When I gonna break through it/Got to just be it/No one can stop it/If they want they can try.”

“Beep” follows the MATA cuts “Popular,” produced by Diplo and Boaz van de Beatz; and “The One,” produced by Rex Kudo and T-Minus.

The followup to 2016’s AIM, MATA is years in the making, its compositions recorded in London, Los Angeles, Italy, Bali, Jakarta, and St Vincent.

M.I.A. (real name Mathangi Arulpragasam) lit the fuse with Arular, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize, and its followup Kala from 2007 was a commercial and critical success. In the United States, she has landed a string of top 10 hits including “Paper Planes,” “Give Me All Your Luvin’”, on which she appeared with Madonna; and Travis Scott’s Billboard Hot 100 leader “Franchise” with Young Thug.

Among her honors are a nomination for British female solo artist at the 2009 Brit Awards and an MBE for services to music in 2019.

Stream “Beep” below.

Kid Cudi is back with his eighth studio album Entergalactic as promised. The record, which was originally announced back in June and carries his lead single, “Do What I Want” dropped on Friday (Sept. 30).

The album comes after a relatively eventful summer for Cudi. His To The Moon world tour included headliner slots at both New York City’s Governor’s Ball music festival and his very own one-day-only Moon Man’s Landing festival hosted in Cleveland, Ohio.

Cudi’s album drop coincides with the release of the Entergalactic television special on Netflix, thanks to the Grammy-winning artist’s collaboration with the streaming giant. 

“Wait til yall hear and see Entergalactic.  U have no idea.  I really wanna thank Kenya Barris, Mike Moon, Elizabeth Porter and the whole team for believing in my vision and helping bring it to life,” wrote Cudi on Twitter Sunday. “Everything about this show is next level.  Ull see”

Cudi’s special delivers an entirely animated musical romance to audiences and its soundtrack features songs like “By Design” and “Do What I Want.” In the series, he voices a New York City artist, Jabari. The role pairs him with co-star and longtime fan, Timothee Chalamet in addition to Jessica Williams and Vanessa Hudgens.

The special is truly meant to compliment Entergalactic as a visual component, according to Cudi, who told Esquire in an August interview that he recorded the album’s songs before going on to outline the show. He characterized the project as an emotional one for him, rooted in the liberation that comes with romance.

“This project will move you, it will take your heart places and make you fall in love again,” wrote Cudi on his Instagram. “I am so proud of every single person involved who helped bring my vision to life.”

Stream Entergalactic below.

Elvis Crespo put everyone on their feet at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards on Thursday night (Sept. 29), where he performed a very energetic medley.

Rocking a Matrix-inspired outfit, the Puerto Rican artist surprised fans with a merengue version of Bad Bunny’s “La Neverita,” a track from his Billboard 200-topping album Un Verano Sin Ti. He then followed with his timeless hit “Suavemente,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart dated May 16, 1998, where it spent six weeks at the top.

Crespo’s twist on “La Neverita” comes on the heels of Bad Bunny paying homage to his music video for “Suavemente,” released in 1998, with its green-screen images and bright colors.

The three-minute video takes us back to the ’90s with its VHS vibes, and marks Bunny’s fourth official music video from Un Verano Sin Ti, following “Moscow Mule,” “Titi Me Preguntó” and “Me Porto Bonito.”

The 29th annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place at Miami’s Watsco Center, are broadcasting live on Telemundo and simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

The awards — produced by MBS Special Events and executive produced by Mary Black Suarez — coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returned to Miami from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at the Faena Forum, with a roster of star speakers that included Romeo Santos, Maluma, Grupo Firme, Chayanne, Ivy Queen, and Nicky Jam, among many others.

Nicky Jam entered the Billboard Hall of Fame on Thursday (Sept. 29) during the Billboard Latin Music Awards. Before accepting the special award, the hitmaker performed his latest single “Sin Novia.”

Then, he was surprised by his father, José Rivera, who took the stage to present his son with the award. “Wow, I was not expecting this,” he started the speech.

“I thought another artist would give me this, not my dad. But dad, you look beautiful. Thank you to Billboard, Leila Cobo for bringing my dad. I want to thank everyone that helped me get to where I’m at. Thank you to everyone who shared their studios with me. To Zion for giving me $500 to buy my ticket and go to Colombia. Thank you to all the old-school reggaetoneros because thanks to them, there’s a Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro. People ask me what I feel when I see Bad Bunny [succeed], I feel proud, my work has paid off. It’s been 28 years and I’m still here. Thank you to my father, he showed me humility. To my mom that’s watching me, I love you. My manager Juan Diego and my four kids that are also watching. This is for all of them.”

The 29th annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place at Miami’s Watsco Center, are broadcasting live on Telemundo and simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional. The awards — produced by MBS Special Events and executive produced by Mary Black Suarez — coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returned to Miami from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at the Faena Forum, with a roster of star speakers that included Romeo Santos, Maluma, Grupo Firme, Chayanne, Ivy Queen and Nicky Jam, among many others.

In a set straight from La Comuna 13 — a popular neighborhood in his hometown of Medellín, Colombia — Maluma performed his new single “Junio” at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

The Colombian singer got romantic with this R&B-funk song co-written by his go-to collaborator, Edgar Barrera, where he sings about crushing hard on a girl that he’s thinking, “How cool would it be if you were my girlfriend?” But Maluma isn’t looking — in fact, he left it very clear that his heart is taken when he stepped down from the stage following his colorful performance to give his girlfriend Susana Gomez a sweet kiss.

Maluma also took part in Billboard Latin Music Week, where he appeared for a Superstar Q&A and talked about launching his new record label, falling in love, and Marc Anthony’s advice. “Everything in life, you need to have enthusiasm and love,” he said.

Adding, “Marc Anthony has been a blessing in my life because he gave me advice in the beginning, and that was not happening [otherwise]. When he told me you have to be a little bit selfish sometimes — live your own happiness and your calm — I remember I was doing everything for everyone else and I was tired. When Marc told me, ‘Hey there’s no formula, you just need to be yourself.’ That’s when I was able to do what I wanted to do.”

The 29th annual Billboard Latin Music Awards, taking place at Miami’s Watsco Center, are broadcasting live on Telemundo and simultaneously on the Spanish entertainment cable network Universo and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional. The awards — produced by MBS Special Events and executive produced by Mary Black Suarez — coincide with Billboard Latin Music Week, which returned to Miami from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1 at the Faena Forum, with a roster of star speakers that included Romeo Santos, Maluma, Grupo Firme, Chayanne, Ivy Queen and Nicky Jam, among many others.