Paulina Rubio
Jesus Cordero*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.
Rauw Alejandro to make acting debut
Rauw Alejandro is set to make his acting debut as he joins season 2 of Netflix’s Sky Rojo. The first photos of him on set, alongside Argentine songstress Lali Esposito, were also shared on social media giving him a warm welcome. It’s unclear what role the “Todo De Ti” singer will take on, but according to the series’ official synopsis, Sky Rojo follows “a fatal turn of events as a brothel sends three women haunted by their pasts on a wild run from their pimp and his henchmen.”
Ovi becomes a dad
Trap singer Ovi took to social media to share the birth of his son Ovi Jr. In an emotional post, the “Día de Pago” singer wrote: “My heir is here. The owner of my life. He’s healthy and strong, thank you God. What I feel is incredible, I can’t explain, a love I’ve never felt before. It’s true what they used to say. This is what I love most in the world. Son, I promise to take care of you and give you the best of me.”
Premio Lo Nuestro to honor Paulina Rubio
Premio Lo Nuestro announced that Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio will be honored with their Premio a la Trayectoria (Trajectory Award), honoring her three-decade-long career in the music industry, which kicked off in the ’80s as part of Timbiriche.
Additionally, the 34th edition of the awards ceremony will feature a special performance by Sting, who will premiere his new single “Por Su Amor,” the Spanish-language version of his song “For Her Love.” Other artists set to perform include CNCO, Sebastián Yatra, Ángela Aguilar and Wisin Y Yandel, among many others.
The 2022 Premio Lo Nuestro will air live from Miami’s FTX Arena on Thursday, Feb. 24, with the “Noche de Estrellas” pre-show beginning at 7 p.m. ET/PT via Univision.
Sueños unveils dreamy lineup for first-ever edition
A new reggaeton and Latin trap festival, headlined by J Balvin, Ozuna and Wisin Y Yandel, is set to take place in Chicago during Memorial Day Weekend (May 28-29).
The first-ever edition of Sueños — presented by the producers behind Baja Beach Fest and Lollapalooza, respectively, and Chicago’s Reventon Promotions — will also include sets by artists such as Myke Towers, El Alfa, Tokischa, Sech, Natanael Cano, Fuerza Regida, Jhay Cortez, Blessd, Jowell & Randy and DJ Luian.
Tickets for Sueños are now on sale at suenosmusicfestival.com.
Pandora’s Billionaires
Pandora is expanding its Billionaires station suite by adding two new Latin stations: Latin Billionaires Pop and Latin Billionaires MX. Available to stream now, the newly launched stations join the digital streaming platform’s existing Billionaires stations in other genres such as pop, hip-hop and country.
Launched by Pandora in 2018 to spotlight artists who have surpassed one billion streams on the DSP, the service presents artists who had reached the marker with a commemorative plaque. The Latin Billionaires Pop station features songs by chart-topping acts including J Balvin, Shakira, Bad Bunny, among others. Meanwhile, Latin Billionaires MX spotlights billion-streaming Regional Mexican artists Banda MS, Los Tigres Del Norte, Los Tucanes De Tijuana, and more.
Listeners can find the new stations in the Billionaires module on the “For You” section of the Pandora app.
NEWS
R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe has given a live debut to a new solo song ‘The Rest Of Ever’ on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – watch below.
The legendary singer has been working on his first full solo album for several years and while he has said in recent weeks that it has taken “longer than I wanted”, he has said he is now adding the finishing touches to the record, and has said it should be out in 2026.
On Thursday (April 23), Stipe appeared on Colbert to play the never-before-heard song ‘The Rest Of Ever’, alongside the house band Louis Cato and The Great Big Joy Machine.
The mature, contemplative track sounds like a slower-tempo version of an outtake from R.E.M.’s ‘Monster’, with Stipe earnestly addressing a loved one, embracing the deep huskiness of his current vocal register.
Watch the performance here:
Also on the show, Stipe attempted to describe the sound of his new album. “One of the songs is the sound of a tree hearing itself for the first time,” he said. “It’s this confusing situation. My friend recorded a tree in my backyard in Georgia and played it back to itself, and so it sounds like Daft Punk, but I’m putting a sea shanty [in the song].”
Colbert then asked which sea shanty it was, to which Stipe said, “It’s the most familiar that everyone knows,” before breaking into ‘Drunken Sailor’.
“The tree has not responded yet,” Stipe added. “We’re gonna let his people get back to my people and see what happens.”
Speaking about the album’s delay in March, Stipe said: “Covid didn’t help, but I’m finishing it. When the band split, I just needed a break. I took five years but I got pulled back into music. It’s been a struggle. That’s the main thing. I want it to be great, but I’ve got the pressure of having been in R.E.M. and it’s a high bar, because I want this to be as good as that, and that’s near impossible.”
Previous Stipe solo releases include the 2019 single ‘Your Capricious Soul’ and ‘Drive To The Ocean’ the following year. He also released ‘No Time For Love Like Now’ with Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine in 2020.
Last month, he also joined forces with Andrew Watt, Josh Klinghoffer and Travis Barker to share the new theme song for the show Rooster.
By all accounts, Stipe remains on good terms with his former R.E.M. bandmates – guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry – and they appeared together in summer 2024 when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The band split amicably in 2011, while Berry had left the group during the height of their commercial success in 1997. However, at the ceremony, the quartet gave a surprise acoustic performance of their 1991 classic ‘Losing My Religion’. That marked the first time the four played live together since their 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Last month, Stipe joined Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy at one of their ‘Lifes Rich Pageant’ 40th anniversary tour shows in Brooklyn. They played versions of R.E.M.’s ‘These Days’ and ‘The Great Beyond’. A year ago, he also sang ‘Pretty Persuasion’ with them.
Stipe has also been clarifying lyrics from ‘It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)’ on Bluesky, revealing that many fans have been getting some of the lines wrong for decades.
