Category: Music

From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

Chiquis’ New Book

Earlier this year, Chiquis announced she was writing her first-ever children’s book called The Girl Who Sings to Bees. This week, fans can pre-order the book set to hit shelves and online stores on July 15. Filled with life lessons that include healing, grief and confronting bullying, the book “honors the relationship she had with her mom, finding solace from her grief in their shared love of music by singing to the bees in her abuelita’s garden and the power to find her voice despite fear and bullying from peers,” according to a press release. The Girl Who Sings to Bees will go on sale in July and will be available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Target, to name a few. Fans can pre-order here. 

Karol G’s Women Ink

Karol G’s Con Cora Foundation is taking its third annual Women Ink initiative to Mexico for the first time, after its first two years in Colombia and Spain, respectively. Set to empower female tattoo artists, the weeklong program — helmed by tattoo artists Javi Cinco Ángeles and Juan Ramón RC and taking place in late August — will offer 40 hours of hands-on training and mentorship, where participants will learn the history of tattooing, techniques and aftercare procedures. Women living in Mexico City between the ages of 22 and 40 can apply now through July 1, by visiting the foundation’s website. 

From Song to Movie

“Patria y Vida,” the liberty anthem that fueled a new Cuban revolution and won two Latin Grammys in 2021, has become a full-length documentary set to hit U.S. theaters on July 11 via Spanglish Movies. Directed by Beatriz Luengo and starring Yotuel, the film features notable musical figures including Emilio and Gloria Estefan, Camila Cabello, Gente de Zona and Billboard’s Leila Cobo. The song — penned by Yotuel (formerly of hip-hop group Orishas), Luengo, Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom (of Gente de Zona) and Descemer Bueno, and features Cuban voices from within the island, Maykel Osorbo and rapper El Funky — became the anthem of anti-government protests in Cuba. “I felt we needed to show the two realities: those of us who live outside Cuba, and those who are still on the island, who live the streets there,” Yotuel previously told Billboard. Watch the trailer below:

Siempre Selena Radio

SiriusXM has launched the Siempre Selena radio channel, where for a limited time, fans will enjoy the Queen of Tejano’s biggest hits. As part of the channel and ahead of its 30th anniversary, Suzette Quintanilla (sister of the late singer and Los Dinos member), opened up about Selena’s Dreaming of You album, released posthumously, and which made history as the first predominately Spanish-language album to ever debut at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 in 1995.

“When Dreaming of You came out I didn’t care,” Quintanilla expressed on the radio show. “I was too much lost in my grief. I didn’t know day or night, I didn’t care about anything. And then I learned to love it and to understand what it represents. It hurt for a very long time to be able to listen to this album, but as time went by, I embraced that this is what sister left behind. This was her not completely fulfilling her dream of doing a whole album, but it’s OK because at least we got this.”

The Siempre Selena channel is available through July 3 on the SiriusXM app, and on satellite channel 79 from June 4 to 10.

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Aeris, rejoice. Baekhyun is going on tour. That’s right. Dust off your light sticks and EXO merch because the band’s lead singer is coming to a city near you with his 2025 Reverie tour. It’s all thanks to the release of Baekhyun’s latest album, Essence of Reverie, his fifth mini album.

To properly celebrate the release, Baekhyun is going on his first-ever solo tour, titled Reverie. The K-pop star plans to visit 29 cities across North and South America, Europe, Oceania and Asia. The tour will kick off with a bang as Baekhyun will host two nights at Seoul’s KSPO Dome on June 7 and 8. The tour ends on Nov. 1, with six of his stops being in the U.S. Tickets can be snagged now via Ticketmaster, StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek Ticket Network and GameTime.

Where to Buy Tickets to Baekhyun’s 2025 Reverie Tour

BEST SEATS

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Ticketmaster has a slew of good seating options that are pretty close to the stage, with standard tickets at some venues starting at $83. The ticketing company also offers a Fan Guarantee, which allows for cancellations, refunds or exchanges within 24 hours of booking, subject to certain exclusions.

BEST PRICES

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StubHub features some of the best pricing on tickets for Baekhyun’s tour, with some going for just $42. You can shop for all dates and arenas with ease thanks to the ticketing service’s FanProtect Guarantee, which ensures valid tickets or your money back. Plus, if your event is canceled and not rescheduled, you will receive a credit worth 120% of the amount you paid for the impacted event, or the option of a cash refund.

EARN REWARDS

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You can grab seating options through Vivid Seats now, with some venues charging only $70. The ticketing service offers a 100% Buyer Guarantee that vows your transaction will be secure, that your tickets will be delivered before your event and that those tickets will be valid and authentic. Right now, you can use promo code BB30 to snag $30 off of your purchase.

PROMO CODES

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With our help, you can grab Baekhyun’s tour tickets with ease. Right now, you can use promo code BILLBOARD10 at checkout to receive $10 off at checkout. The ticketing service features a Buyer Guarantee that ensures smooth ticket purchases every time.

PROMO CODE

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More savings can never be bad. You can grab Baekhyun’s tour tickets through TicketNetwork with the code BILLBOARD300 to save $300 off orders of $1,000, and BILLBOARD150 to save $150 off orders of $500. Don’t have the funds yet? You can also buy the tickets on the website now and pay later with Affirm. Plus, the website includes all-in pricing that lets you see exactly what you’ll be paying upfront (fees included).

SEATING OPTIONS

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Gametime features a slew of seating options for a range of prices, the most versatile we’ve seen. Some venues have tickets starting at $74. Gametime guarantees the lowest prices, event cancellation protection, job loss assurance and on-time ticket delivery for a smooth ticket buying experience every time, no matter the occasion.

More About Baekhyun

Dropped on May 19, Essence of Reverie features R&B-esque slow jam songs such as “Elevator” and “Chocolate.” The album was received well, and the charts prove it too.

On the Billboard charts following the release, Baekhyun claimed the No. 1 spot on the Emerging Artists chart, ranked No. 4 on Top Album Sales, No. 35 on the Artist 100, and made a notable debut at No. 121 on Billboard 200.

Baekhyun began his career as the main vocalist of EXO, a South Korean boy band currently consisting of nine members. In July 2019, Baekhyun dropped his first solo release, City Lights, an album full of jazzy R&B hits, cementing him as one of the great vocalists in the K-pop sphere. Since then, the singer has worked to drop four more albums, including Delight, Bambi and Hello World, along with his work as a member of EXO.

Vans Warped Tour might be one of the best-selling festivals of 2025, but organizers say no one music act is responsible for moving the bulk of the 240,000 tickets sold so far across three U.S. cities. Indeed, the brand name alone seems to have been enough. 

“We sold the vast majority of those tickets before we had a lineup,” says Kevin Lyman, founder and producer of the traveling punk show, which ran from 1995 to 2018 before returning this year for a limited 30^th anniversary run. Lyman, who has partnered with Live Nation festival company Insomniac for this year’s Warped, is working from a makeshift office and headquarters after the Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year forced him to leave his Altadena home, which was damaged but largely spared from the blaze.  

“I think there’s nostalgia in the market, but it’s not just for the music — people are longing for events that are affordable and give them a chance to discover something,” says Lyman. Prices for this year’s Warped Tour are $149 for a two-day pass, and the tour is much shorter, with just three stops this year instead of the typical 36 markets. Two of the three markets piggyback off events organized by Insomniac: Warped’s Washington, D.C. stop, from June 14-15, comes two weeks after Insomniac’s Project Glow EDM fest; while the Orlando stop, Nov. 15-16, takes place one week after EDC Orlando at Camping World Stadium. Warped Tour is also coming to Long Beach, Calif., from July 26-27 at Shoreline Waterfront Park. 

Each of the three two-day stops on the tour accounts for nearly 80,000 tickets sold. When combined, the fans attending all six days of the Warped Tour this summer will have purchased 240,000 tickets. That’s likely more tickets than were sold at Coachella this year, which took place over two consecutive three-day weekends, sources tell Billboard. It also likely surpasses the number of tickets sold at the three-day Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. 

Billboard recently caught up with Lyman to discuss the 30^th anniversary tour, including how he pitched it to Steven Van Doren, son of Vans founder Paul Van Doren; his expectations from the fans; and whether the 2025 outing is a one-and-done or has the potential to return in 2026 and beyond. 

What made you decide to bring Warped Tour back? 

People don’t miss something until it’s taken away. I had a fantastic crew; we did a lot of marketing for bands and helped a lot of younger artists. And then, when we took it away, people realized that there was a place for something like Warped Tour. But by then I was busy doing other things — traveling, teaching my class at USC and working on other projects. And then the pandemic hit, and being on a college campus and being around young people, I could see a new need for Warped Tour arise.  

What kind of reception have you received so far? 

I think it’s been exciting because the bands that remember Warped Tour remember how important it was to their careers, and the younger bands now are super excited to be able to have that experience and be part of it.  

Why did you bring in Insomniac for this year’s Warped Tour? 

There’s a lot of people over there that grew up around Warped Tour, attended in the past and even worked on Warped Tour. Maureen Valker-Barlow, who works as a senior vp at Insomniac and landed her first job at Warped Tour, approached me, and it was easy for us to figure out how to work together. And then it was like the green light came on, and we just ran with it. They have great people over there like Amanda Phelan, who is a great booker, and Maureen, who I previously mentioned, handling sponsorship, as well as Chris Barlow and Nathan Armstrong in production. I’ve always operated as very small and independent, working in a garage, and they’re a big company, and they know how to run festivals. They handle a lot of the day-to-day stuff, absorbing a significant part of the logistics. And marketing. They’ve given me a little bit more of that structure. 
 
What was it like approaching Vans to do another tour? 
 
That was easy, because Steve Van Doren and myself go back — we’re talking 25 years of Warped Tour and years before that. It was easy to go over there and say, “Hey, here’s the idea, let’s bring it back with these people. I have faith in them.”  Sure, there was a lot of paperwork, but it only took ten minutes of conversation to get this thing going. 

Was it difficult to come up with a budget around a $149 ticket price? 

Not at all, because I knew from the beginning that Warped would only work if we kept the ticket price fair. I feel strongly that a $149, two-day ticket is affordable to our fans. I think 90% of the reason that people are getting turned off by festivals is because they’re too expensive. Warped was always the show for people that maybe didn’t have that money for some of the other festivals. Both myself and Insomniac felt $149 was the right price, and a lot of people have responded to that price. It also helps that we delivered the lineup. It’s an eclectic lineup that touches on our history and past, but it also looks forward to the future. I’m excited to see which of the younger bands we’ve booked get the biggest reaction from the fans. 

You’ve got some big names on the lineup this year like Avril Lavigne, Fishbone, Less Than Jake, Dropkick Murphys, Pennywise and Sublime. You’ve also got dozens of baby bands and newcomers scheduled to play. How do you strike the right balance between old and new? 

Well, it’s partially an economic exercise. Every band you book, no matter how big, makes up part of your ticket price, and you always have a few that are reliable and a few that are more of a gamble. We’re booking some of these bands in January, wondering how big they will be in August? Are they going to be bigger than what we paid them? Can the $5,000 band generate $25,000 in value from fans who are excited to see them? If you look at our social media right now, we really don’t need to push Sublime or Rise Against. They’re already known. People are going to enjoy them, and they’re going to have a big, big crowd. We want to grab onto those younger acts like LØLØ or Honey Revenge and really boost them on our social media so they have a big audience at Warped Tour. A lot of what we focus on is leveraging the Warped brand and the larger bands to help raise the profile of the smaller acts. 

Did you get the idea to list the bands on the lineup poster in alphabetical order from Insomniac? 

No, that’s something I started doing in 1996 because I hate arguing over billing. I think we waste so much time arguing over font size on the poster when we should be marketing to fans and getting behind the show. People are smart. People will come and find the bands they want to see. If you could put Korn in the bottom corner of a festival lineup, people would find them and be excited about them.  

What about scheduling? How do you keep egos in check with the schedule? 

We don’t announce the set times until the day of the show. I do that because I want people to come early and enjoy all the young bands. I go to too many festivals where people come in at sunset and miss all the great young bands. And my thing is, Warped fans are diehard music fans. They’re not fashion fans, they’re there for the music. And they’re going to figure out the lineup. And I think everything we’re doing so far is working. Hopefully, we deliver the show that people will want to come see next year. 

So Warped is not a one-and-done? This is a multi-year project? 

I want to really go see what the first show is like in D.C. before we make any final decisions on that. I want to go see the audience and who’s coming. Is it people that want to be part of something moving forward, or people trying to capture a memory? My guess is that it will be a blend of both, but we’ll see. 

Could it return as a true touring property, going from city to city, buses and all? 

No. Definitely not. I can’t do that to myself, hitting the road for two months straight. I’ve had seven different surgeries because of the Warped Tour. I don’t need any more.  
 

The Weeknd unveiled the eerie music video for Hurry Up Tomorrow album cut “Baptized in Fear” on Friday (June 6).

In the cinematic clip, the R&B crooner sits alone in a desolate row of church pews as he sings, “I fell asleep in the tub, I was met with paralysis/ My foot hit the faucet, water started flowin’ in/ Couldn’t scream for help, I just slowly felt the pressure hit/ Moving one toe was the only form of motion left/ Can’t breathe for air, can’t breathe.”

From there, the artist born Abel Tesfaye watches in wonder as his hand is slowly engulfed in a liquid marble akin to the soulless statues that populate the visual before wandering out into the equally empty grounds of the churchyard, which, according to a release, represents the singer’s “battle with inner demons, a purgatory that he must endure, fighting for rebirth.”

Though not released as an official single like “Timeless,” “São Paulo” and “Cry for Me,” “Baptized in Fear” has become a fan-favorite highlight of The Weekend’s latest No. 1 LP, which he previously billed as his final album under his famous moniker, but has since noted that it may be a “rebirth” instead. Billboard ranked the track among the best on Hurry Up Tomorrow upon the project’s January release, calling the cut both “dark and morbid” and “The Weeknd at peak form.”

The surprise video for “Baptized in Fear” also follows the theatrical release of Hurry Up Tomorrow, the full-length psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults that serves as a companion piece to the album.

Watch The Weeknd’s new music video for “Baptized in Fear” below.

In an alternate universe, Miley Cyrus‘ iconic Bangerz era would’ve been made complete with a wild music video starring Madonna, Nelly and more superstars popping wheelies and wrestling in the mud. Unfortunately, we do not live in that universe.

In an interview on the Every Single Album podcast posted Thursday (June 5), the “Flowers” singer revealed that she had been dead set on rounding up a star-studded group of friends to shoot a raucous visual for “4×4,” a song on her smash-hit 2013 album that ultimately never became a single. “I had everyone already lined up,” Cyrus said. “Nelly … Madonna was down to do the video, Miranda Cosgrove.”

“This was before Taylor [Swift] had a lot of famous people in her crew,” she continued, laughing. “I was friends with famous people first. I wanted to do that. I had a f–king squad, and my squad was very, very cool.”

Cyrus claimed the idea was eventually shut down by RCA, her label at the time, whom she quipped didn’t want her “talking about a pit bull [and] piss” in a song they’d be promoting. “Madonna was down to mud wrestle with Miranda Kerr,” the Grammy winner reminisced wistfully. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna get all these girls, all these supermodels, all these Victoria’s Secret models and all of these pop icons to come to my dad’s farm, get in the back of 4x4s, and we’re gonna mud wrestle, and we’re gonna go out and do doughnuts.”

Despite the lack of a “4×4” visual, Bangerz remains one of Cyrus’ most successful albums to date. The LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned her first-ever No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, “Wrecking Ball,” which was followed closely by “We Can’t Stop” at No. 2.

The “Party in the U.S.A.” artist was signed to RCA for a three-album run, later dropping Younger Now in 2017 and Plastic Hearts in 2020 under the Sony Music imprint. In 2021, she inked a new deal with Columbia Records, through which she just released new album Something Beautiful on May 30.

Later in the podcast episode, Cyrus recalled another time where she and her former label weren’t quite on the same page. According to her, she never would’ve put a certain fellow pop star on “Prisoner,” one of the singles on Plastic Hearts. “No shade to Dua Lipa, it just isn’t cohesive with the album,” Cyrus said frankly.

“She would’ve been much better on something like [2023 LP] Endless Summer Vacation,” the singer continued of Dua Lipa. “She would’ve been great on ‘Wildcard,’ she would’ve been great on any of them — ‘River,’ can you imagine?”

Cyrus added that she thought her team at RCA wasn’t entirely confident in how Plastic Hearts would perform, so they brought in some “medicinal Dua” to give the LP some commercial oomph. “They basically were like, ‘Oh, great, here’s this piece of s–t album she gave us, let’s spray a little Dua Lipa on there,’” Cyrus said, laughing.

Listen to Cyrus’ full interview on Every Single Album below.

New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

Belinda, Indómita (Warner Music México)

When Belinda received the Evolution Award at the 2025 Billboard Latin Women in Music gala, she made it clear that “Belinda isn’t a musical genre.” During a career that spans 25 years, she’s navigated through pop, rock, electronic, cumbia, and most recently, música mexicana. “My career is versatile…it’s the perfect word to define my style,” she previously told Billboard. Best representing her fruitful and experimental growth in the industry, the Spain-born, Mexican-raised star dropped Indómita, her sixth studio album and debut set under Warner Music.

The 17-track album starts off with nine “corridos coquettes,” where her alter ego “Beli Bélica” shines in collaborations with genre hitmakers Natanael Cano (“300 Noches”), Tito Double P (“La Cuadrada”), and Xavi (“Mírame Feliz”). Across the next eight songs, she dabbles in trap music (“Death Note” and “Silvana”); teams up with Netón Vega and Tokischa for two hard-hitting perreos (“+ Perra, + Bitch” and “Wet Dreams”); and goes full dance in the Kenia OS-assisted “Jackpot.” Other collaborators on the set include Alemán, Mala Rodriguez and Thirty Second to Mars.

“The [album’s] title is very specific to a movement for women,” she explained of Indómita, which means “untamed.” “She’s a warrior, independent, a woman who’s out of the box, completely irreverent but at the same time strong, sexy, fun… all the things I like and that I am, and I’d like to convey that to people.” — JESSICA ROIZ

Óscar Maydon, Rico o Muerto, Vol. 1 (Rancho Humilde)

Excess, irreverence and romance collide in Óscar Maydon’s Rico o Muerto, Vol. 1, a whirlwind of sierreño swagger that feels like a tequila-soaked fever dream. Across 12 tracks, the Mexicali artist channels the debauchery and drama of late-night escapades, weaving tales of fleeting romances (“Mr. Vallarta”), dismissal (“Para Ti”) and indulgence (“ZAZA,” the only trap song).

The party kicks off on “Baja Beach,” a sun-drenched anthem named after the infamous Mexican festival, with Junior H and Fuerza Regida joining the revelry. “Desvelada” turns up the nocturnal chaos alongside Peso Pluma and Netón Vega, while the focus track “Asquerosamente Rico” with Peso takes playful opulence to new heights. On “2030,” Maydon rides solo, mixing carnivalesque accordion riffs with a pulsing electric bassline to deliver a debauched, dystopian glimpse into the future. The album is the right amount of star-studded that Luis R Conríquez and Gabito Ballesteros also join him on “Fina Con Los Valentinos.”

With pre-released hits “Tu boda” and “Amigos? No.” rounding out the collection, Rico o Muerto, Vol. 1 reaffirms Maydon’s devil-may-care and romantic style. But more than a party album, it’s a work where the unbridled fun and excitement feel as real as the early mornings it invokes. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Elvis Crespo, Poeta Herío (Puntería Records)

Merengue star Elvis Crespo delivers Poeta Herío, a term from Puerto Rican slang that translates to “hurt poet.” The 13-track set showcases the vibrant essence of merengue, featuring lively rhythms and heartfelt lyrics encapsulating the joys and struggles of life through his music. The LP is a vibrant tapestry of tropical sounds, featuring an impressive roster of both legendary icons and rising stars. With Elvis Crespo at the helm, the project immerses listeners in his signature genres of spirited merengue, lively mambo and infectious bachata. This new chapter in Crespo’s musical journey is fueled by collaborations with a diverse array of artists such as Ivy Queen, Jerry Rivera, Toño Rosario, Tony Tun Tun and Víctor Manuelle.

Standout tracks include “Cora Roto,” an emotionally charged song where Crespo unveils a gripping narrative of betrayal, where hidden truths come to light, revealing a harsh and unforgiving reality. This is followed by several heartfelt goodbye letters and concludes the album with a revamped version of his classic “Nuestra Canción,” featuring Jerry Rivera. — INGRID FAJARDO

Ozuna, “Sirenita” (Nibiru International)

Ozuna hasn’t released an album in two years, so he could be setting the tone for a potential LP with the two singles he’s released so far this year. His latest, “Sirenita,” is a vibrant fusion of Afrobeats and the Puerto Rican hitmaker’s signature rhythmic-leaning urban production, which serves as the perfect canvas for his sweet and delicate vocals. The lyrics to “Sirenita” — which tell the story of a girl who’s stolen Ozuna’s heart — are a testament to Ozuna’s knack for writing sensitive, romantic songs. “Sirenita” serves as the lead-up to Ozuna’s summer tour in Europe that will kick off on June 20 in Milan and span over ten cities across the continent. — GRISELDA FLORES

Elena Rose, Sistek & Mazzarri, “SINTIGO” (Warner Music Latina)

Accompanied by producers Sistek and Mazzarri, Elena Rose releases “SINTIGO,” an evocative track with an electronic vibe that explores the emotional contradiction of wanting someone to stay but also wanting them to leave. “How do I tell you? My life without you makes no sense,” the artist sings over a subtle fusion of house with Afrobeats, resulting in a delicate yet euphoric soundtrack for summer. “SINTIGO” – a Spanish play of the words “Sin ti” (without you) and “Contigo” (with you) – is the first preview of the Venezuelan singer-songwriter’s highly anticipated debut LP, following her 2024 EP En Las Nubes – Con Mis Panas. “This is the first of everything,” Elena wrote on Instagram. “A summer without drama is coming … full of beautiful things.” – SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS

Adriel Favela, Eddy, “KbrN InfeLiZ” (Fono)

Adriel Favela’s “KbrN InfeLiZ,” the first single from his upcoming album Elysium, is a sad sierreño song powered by raw lyrics about a man who realizes that his lifestyle and emotional failings make him incapable of loving someone back the way he is loved. The sierreño-style guitars add an even more dramatic and profound touch to the track, in which the regional Mexican star is accompanied by Eddy, an emerging música mexicana artist who has previously collaborated with Gabito Ballesteros, Calle 24 and Ed Maverick. “KbrN InfeLiZ” has the makings of an anthem for today’s generation. – TERE AGUILERA

Kapo, “Korazong” (Sony Music Latin/La Industria)

Kapo’s “Korazong” is a romantic declaration of love powered by a hypnotic Afrobeats sound. Written by the Colombian singer and produced by Gangsta, the song is distinguished by its poetic and sincere lyrics in which Kapo, with his unmistakable raspy voice, sings to that woman who came to heal his heart and transform it with love. Although it is still early to know if it will be his next hit, what is clear is that Kapo reaffirms his knack for authentic songs that touch the heartstrings and appeal to all types of listeners. — LUISA CALLE

Check out more Latin recommendations this week below: