Karol G Receives Two Wax Figures from Madame Tussauds 

Karol G is waxing nostalgic… 

The 33-year-old Colombian Grammy-winning singer-songweriter has officially received two of her very own wax figures at the renowned Madame Tussauds wax museum.

Karol GKarol G was present at the recent grand reveal in New York City, where she reacted to her two figures: one that captures the Colombian-inspired outfit and signature blue hair that she rocked during her 2022 Coachella performance; the other is one of her looks from the “TQG” music video with Shakira, where she had her striking red locks.

“Wow, how impressive!” Karol said in a press statement. “My first impression was I love my smile, and the color of my eyes […] I hope when my fans meet the figures that it’s a manifestation for them that one day they will meet me.”

Karol G Wax FiguresHer Coachella wax figure will remain at the Madame Tussauds in Times Square, whereas her “TQG” wax figure will be relocated to the Madame Tussauds in Las Vegas at the end of October.

“Karol G is one of our generation’s greatest living Latina performers,” added Eliza Rose, marketing manager at Madame Tussauds New York. “Her figure is a beautiful addition to our museums, and a testament to her talent, influence and the love her fans have for her.”

The “Bichota” singer—who’s a 17-time finalist at the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards and whose “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” has spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart—joins Maluma, Anitta, Selena, Bad Bunny, Shakira and other Latin acts with their own wax figures.

J Balvin to Release New Album, “Rayo,” This August

J Balvin will be catching some rayos this summer…

The 39-year-old Colombian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer has announced plans to release his upcoming new album, titled Rayo, on August 9.

J BalvinBalvin’s 15-track LP includes collaborations with Feid, Chencho Corleone, Bad Gyal and Carín León, among others. 

The set will follow the hitmaker’s Grammy-nominated Jose released three years ago, which peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart for three weeks.

Overall, Balvin has placed four No. 1 sets on the tally since 2016, including Energía, Vibras and Oasis, his 2019 joint album with Bad Bunny.

As with all his previous albums, this one also started with a name before even recording any of the songs included. “My albums have always started with their names,” he previously told Billboard. “That way, we let ourselves be guided by the vibe.” The singer-songwriter also shared that London was a major source of inspiration for the set, specifically its nightclub scene, where he and his team would play demos sometimes. “We wanted to see fan reaction, and it was amazing,” he teased.

According to a press release, Rayo is an expression of “earnest need for human connection that drove Balvin to create an album that feels more like a house party than a collection of songs.”

On this new album, he blends elements of reggeatón with electronic pop and dembow, the statement further adds.

In April, Balvin performed a riveting sci-fi-inspired headlining set at Coachella, where he sang his biggest anthems to date, including hits recent hits such as the Tainy-produced “Colmillo” and “Dientes.”

Some of his surprise guests included Jowell & Randy, De La Ghetto and Will Smith.

The new album announcement coincides with Balvin’s new single “Gaga” in collaboration with Saiko. The Keityn and L.e.x.v.z.-produced track dropped on Thursday (July 11).

Here’s the Rayo tracklist:

“Cosa de Locos”
“Polvo de tu Vida” featuring Chencho Corleone
“Swat” featuring Luar La L
“Bajo y Batería”
“Doblexxó” featuring Feid
“3 Noches”
“Gaga” featuring Saiko
“Gato” featuring Bad Gyal
“Lobo” featuring Zion
“La Noche” featuring Dei V
“Origami” featuring Ryan Castro and Blessd
“Sólido”
“Stoker” featuring Carin León
“Ganster”
“En Alta” featuring Omar Courtz, Yovngchimi, Quevedo, Mambo Kingz, DJ Luian

Latin Mafia Signs Exclusive Record Deal with Rimas Entertainment

Latin Mafia has a new deal…

The Mexican act – consisting of brothers Milton, Emilio and Mike de la Rosa – has signed an exclusive record deal with Rimas Entertainment.

Latin MafiaThey join the label that’s home to Latin music stars Bad Bunny, Eladio Carrión and Arcángel, among others.

News of the group’s signing comes after they secured slots in global music festivals, including their U.S. debut at CoachellaSueños in Chicago and Summerfest in Milwaukee.

As independent artists, Latin Mafia has grown a dedicated pool of fans with only an eclectic handful of singles that gained traction on Spotify, where they boast nearly seven million monthly listeners.

Based in Mexico, the trio’s sound ranges from R&B, reggaeton and trap, to indie, pop, afrobeats and EDM.

Latin Mafia tells Variety their debut album, which is said to be released later this year, will be “very different” than their previous releases.

“We’re experimenting a lot and changing even more,” the group said jointly. “We could say that on the album everything starts from contrast — of saturation and noise, with the non-existent and almost barely perceptible; of the simple and the exaggerated, as well as the reasonable and the irrelevant.”

The group described signing a deal with Rimas as “synergetic,” adding that “we feel Rimas is a record label with a very young mentality.” They continued, “[Rimas] understands this industry is always changing and that today, the music industry stands for something totally different than it did [before].”

Junior Carabano, vice president of Rimas, said the signing was a “testament to our expansion in Mexico,” adding that the deal took a year to complete. The deal was said to have involved multiple bids from other major labels.

“This amazing achievement is the result of a year of hard work, and I am incredibly grateful to have made it a reality,” said Carbano. “This has been my biggest priority over the past 12 months, and signing Latin Mafia means a lot to me personally. We’re honored to welcome them and appreciate their trust in our work. We’re excited to embark on this adventure, giving them our best to bring their music to expansive new audiences in Mexico and around the world. I can’t wait to write their next chapter together and make history.”

Latin Mafia’s biggest songs include “Patadas de Ahogado,” “Flores,” “Julietota,” “Se Fue La Luz,” and “No Digas Nada.”

The band has already completed dates at Lollapalooza Argentina, Lollapalooza Chile, Costa Rica’s Picnic Festival, Colombia’s Estereo Picnic, Guatemala’s Empire Music Festival, and Justas Festival in Puerto Rico. They’re set to perform for Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest on August 10.

Peso Pluma Signs with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Peso Pluma has new representation…

The 24-year-old Mexican singer and musician has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in all areas.

Peso PlumaPeso Pluma’s debut albumGénesis, won the “Best Música Mexicana Album” award at the 2024 Grammys and landed No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, marking the highest-charting Mexican music album in the chart’s history.

The album has also garnered a variety of other awards this year, including four iHeartRadio Music Awards and two wins for “Best Album – Regional Mexican” and “Best Collaboration – Regional Mexican” at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards.

In the past year, Peso headed off on a sold-out global tour, became the first Mexican artist to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards and won the “Best New Act” category at the MTV Europe Music Awards last year.

In 2023, Peso’s hit single “Ella Baila Sola” broke records by securing the No. 10 spot on Billboard’s All-Genre Hot 100 list, amassing an impressive 1.2 billion streams.

He currently holds the title of the fifth most-streamed artist globally, boasting over 60 million monthly listeners on Spotify revealing his popularity beyond the Spanish-language market.

Following his performances at Coachella and for Sony Electronics, Peso is gearing up for his North American tour this summer and headlining major festivals such as the Governor’s Ball, Sueños and Baja Beach Fest.

Additionally, his second studio album, Éxodo, is set to release this spring.

Additional accolades include four 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro awards, including “New Artist Male” and “Música Mexicana – Album of the Year.” Further, there were eight triumphs at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, with Peso notably clinching titles like “Artist of the Year, New.” Additionally, he garnered five distinctions at the 2023 Premios Juventud, securing recognitions like “Next Generation Regional Mexican” and “Best Regional Mexican Album.”

Karol G to Co-Headline This Year’s Rock in Rio Festival

Karol G is ready to rock

The 33-year-old Colombian Grammy-winning singer/songwriter will co-headline this year’s Rock in Rio, one of the biggest music festivals in Brazil.

Karol GKarol G has been added to the line-up, which will include performances from Mariah Carey, Ludmilla and many other artists. 

The very first Rock in Rio festival took place in 1985. The line-up included music icons like Queen, Tina Turner, AC/DC, Rod Stewart and Iron Maiden. Since then, many other global stars like Britney Spears, Shakira, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Paul McCartney and Drake have performed at the multi-day festival.

This year, Rock in Rio will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the festival in a big way. The event will take place over two weekends, Sept. 13 to 15 and 19 to 22, at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro.

Karol G was added as a co-headliner to the September 20 date. She’s currently touring Latin America with her Mañana Será Bonito Tour. The tour will visit Brazil on May 10 in São Paulo. Her fans in Brazil will get a second chance to see her in Rio de Janeiro for Rock in Rio. She’ll headline the Palco Mundo (World Stage) that day with Katy Perry, Cyndi Lauper and Ivete Sangalo.

Brazilian superstar Ludmilla is one of the co-headliners on the September 13 date. She recently performed on the main stage of the Coachella music festival. Travis Scott, 21 Savage, and Matuê, Teto & Wiu will also headline the Palco Mundo. Mariah Carey will headline the Palco Sunset (Sunset Stage) on September 22. Other performers to look out for over those two weekends include Lulu Santos, DENNIS, Gloria Groove, Iza, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, Imagine Dragons and One Republic.

Next month, the 2024 Rock in Rio Lisboa will first take place. From June 15 to 16 and 22 to 23, Camila Cabello, Jonas Brothers, Aitana, Doja Cat, Sheeran and many others will perform at the precursor festival to the one later happening in Rio de Janeiro.

Peso Pluma Releases Music Video for DJ Snake-Assisted Track “Teka”

Peso Pluma has slithered his way to a new collaboration…

After premiering the track at Coachella last weekend, the 24-year-old Mexican singer has officially released the new collaborative single, “Teka,” with DJ Snake.

Peso Pluma

Released via Interscope Records, the song blends the styles of both internationally-renowned artists to create a beat you’re bound to hear on a dance floor soon. Or, as Peso Pluma puts it, it’s “gonna rock the discotheque, theque, theque, theque, theque.”

If the massive crowd at the Sahara Tent for DJ Snake’s Coachella set was any indicator, the song is sure to be an upcoming summer staple.

An instant crowd-pleaser, the song has already amassed almost 300,000 plays on Spotify. Now, Peso Pluma and DJ Snake have released the official music video.

The video offers a whole new perspective on the tried-and-true musical “car test.” In the video, directed by Benjamin Mege, DJ Snake and Peso Pluma are listening to the track on the car stereo when they notice tiny people dancing within the vehicle’s speakers. A mini-dancefloor comes alive within its dashboard and everyone gets down, including grandma.

Sleek lighting and cinematography add depth to the video’s lighthearted narrative, with artistic angles complimenting the track. When DJ Snake and Peso Pluma are stopped and asked to take off their sunglasses, they, too, join the dance party within the car’s speaker.

Shakira Announces Dates for North American Leg of “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour”

Shakira is headed to an arena near you…

The 47-year-old Colombian superstar has revealed the dates for the first leg of her 2024 Live Nation-promoted North American tour, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.

ShakiraNamed in honor of her new album of the same name, Shakira will play 14 arena shows across North America, beginning November 2 in Palm Desert, California, and ending December 15 in Detroit, Michigan.

Tickets for the tour will be available beginning Wednesday (April 17) via a Citi presale, with an artist presale beginning on Friday (April 19) at 10 am.

The general onsale begins on April 22 at 10 a.m. local time.

The official announcement comes after Shakira told fans during her Coachella performance with Bizarrap last weekend that she would be touring this year.

This is Shakira’s first tour since her 2018 El Dorado World Tour, which took her to stadiums and arenas around the world.

Shakira first hinted that she would be touring this year during her Q&A at Billboard Latin Music Week and her Billboard cover story last October. At the time, she said she would “definitely” tour in 2024, but provided no details.

Then, last month, following the release of Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, she performed in New York City’s Times Square for a crowd of more than 40,000 fans.

During her new tour, Shakira is expected to perform her new hits, as well as her iconic global chart stoppers.

Here are the Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour dates:

Nov 2 – Palm Desert, CA @ Acrisure Arena
Nov. 7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
Nov. 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
Nov. 16 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
Nov. 17 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Nov. 20 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
Nov. 23 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Nov. 25 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
Nov. 30 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
Dec. 5 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
Dec. 8 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
Dec. 10 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Dec. 14 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Dec. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Shakira Reveals Upcoming “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” World Tour During Special Guest Appearance at Coachella

Shakira has pulled off a double surprise at Coachella….

Along with appearing as a special guest during Bizarrap’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday evening, the 47-year-old Colombian superstar announced plans to launch a world tour.

ShakiraAt 8:13 p.m. — just after performing his Residente-assisted “BZRP Music Sessions #49” and “Mamichula” in collaboration with Trueno and Nicki Nicole — Shakira arrived onstage for a surprise performance.

On the screen: “La Loba Se Viene.”

Shakira, looking flawless and graceful as always, performed “La Fuerte,” her second collaborative effort with Biza, part of her latest studio album Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.

“Good night, Coachella! This is amazing,” she told the crowd. “Thank you, Bizarrap for inviting me. Truthfully, it’s amazing being here with this audience, with you, my colleague, my friend.”

Dressed in a sunset ombre cutout dress, Shak then announced major news: “I have to share something today. Biza, I’m going on tour. I’m going on tour, finally…starting here, this November, this year, this city. I can’t wait. Couldn’t ask for more,” she said, as the screens displayed “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour” in white text.

Shortly after, Shak and Bizarrap celebrated with their megahit “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.

The track peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and landed at No. 2 on both the Billboard Global 200 and the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. It also ruled the Hot Latin Songs chart, scoring Shakira her 12th leader on the tally.

Peso Pluma Among Latinx Artists to Perform at This Year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival

Peso Pluma is returning to the Colorado Desert of Southern California this spring.

The lineup for this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has been finalized, with the 24-year-old Mexican singer set to perform over the two weekends of the festival: April 12-14 and April 19-21.

Peso PlumaPeso Pluma, a Regional Mexican artist who has taken the world by storm, is scheduled to perform on Friday, April 12 and Friday, April 19. He performed at the festival in 2023 during Becky G’s set.

Other Latinx artists set to perform on the same days at Peso Pluma incude Argentina’s Bizarrap, Puerto Rico’s Young Miko and Cuba’s Cimafunk.

Ice Spice will perform on Saturday, April 13 and Saturday, April 20.

Other Latinx artists performing on Saturday alongside the 24-year-old half-Dominican American “Barbie World” singer include Santa Fe Klan and Depresión Sonora.

J Balvin is set to perform on Sunday, April 14 and Sunday, April 21.

It’ll be the 38-year-old Colombian singer’s first performance at Coachella since 2019.

Sunday’s other Latinx performers include Carin Leon, Eddie Zuka, Hermanos Gutierrez and Ludmilla.

This year’s lineup includes a No Doubt reunion, with the band performing together for the first time in almost a decade.

Lana del ReyTyler the Creator and Doja Cat are the 2024 headlining acts

The presale for Coachella starts on Friday, January 19 at 11:00 am PT, with the official site suggesting that for the “best chance at passes,” look at Weekend 2.

General admission passes start at $499 (plus fees) for Tier 1 and go up to $599 (plus fees) for Tier 3. For those festival-goers looking for a VIP experience and have access to exclusive areas, the passes start at $1,069 (plus fees) for Tier 1 and $1,269 (plus fees) for Tier 2. The passes allow entrance to the festival for all three days of the chosen weekend.

Peso Pluma Tops YouTube’s List of Top 5 Most-Viewed Artists in the U.S. in 2023

Peso Pluma is this year’s streaming sensation…

YouTube has unveiled its Top 5 Most-Viewed Artists in the United States in 2023, with the 24-year-old Mexican Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter leading the pack.

Peso PlumaThe música Mexicana (Regional Mexican) phenomenon comes in at No. 1 for the first time on the coveted list due to fans connecting through his live performance at Coachella, for example.

The artist born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija had more than 8.5 billion views throughout the year, according to a press release from the platform.

The massive success that songs such as Yng Lvcas’ “La Bebe (Remix),” “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado, the Karol G-assisted “QLONA,” “Lady Gaga” in collaboration with Gabito Ballesteros and Junior H, and “Rubicon” had in 2023 ultimately made La Doble P the No. 1 most played artist on YouTube in the U.S. this year.

He’s followed by YoungBoy Never Broke Again at No. 2, Drake at No. 3, Bad Bunny at No. 4, and Taylor Swift at No. 5.

Peso Puma, who hails from Zapopan, also scored two songs on YouTube’s Top 10 Songs of the Year list with “Ella Baila Sola” at No.3 and “La Bebe (Remix)” at No. 4.

The former also wrapped the year at No. 1 on the Billboard year-end Hot Latin Songs chart. Penned by Pedro Tovar about a man drawn by a woman’s beauty, “Ella Baila Sola” made history as the first regional Mexican song to dominate the Billboard Global 200 chart, where it led for six consecutive weeks.

Additionally, Pluma topped Billboard’s Top 5 New Latin Artists of 2023 list and was No. 2 on the Top Latin Artist of 2023 list, following Bad Bunny.