Global Citizen Festival to Launch First Large-Scale Music Event in Latin America

The Global Citizen Festival is heading to Latin America.

During Global Citizen NOW: Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (Nov. 17), the international advocacy organization launched its new Power Our Planet: Take Action Now campaign, which will culminate in Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia — the movement’s first large-scale music event in Latin America.

Set for November 2025, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will take place at the Estádio Olímpico do Pará in Belém, Brazil. While the exact date is yet to be confirmed, the festival will be timed to coincide with the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will take place from November 10-21, 2025.

In a statement on Sunday, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva said, “One year from now, Brazil will proudly host COP30 in the Amazon rainforest — a defining moment in our collective fight to protect our planet and ensure a sustainable future for all. We are proud of Global Citizen’s Power Our Planet campaign, and to host Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia in Belém next November — the first ever impact concert in the rainforest — with the ambitious goal of raising $1 billion dollars and driving forward the climate justice agenda. Together, we will mark 10 years since the Paris Agreement with a landmark event that sets the world on a transformative path toward a more sustainable and just future.”

Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans stressed the urgent need for action: “The issues of climate change and extreme poverty are two sides of the same coin. The climate crisis could push 100 million more people into poverty in the next five years, and 10 years on from the Paris Agreement, we are not seeing the bold ambition needed from political leaders to stop rising temperatures leading to that decline. The only solution is action now — the next 12 months will be vital for securing new funding and radical policy change, and we’ll campaign to ensure it happens.”

As with previous editions, Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will feature top global and Brazilian musical artists, including Indigenous performers. Fans who wish to attend can earn free tickets by taking action in support of the Power Our Planet campaign. More details will be available in the coming months.

Global Citizen Festival: Amazonia will be presented by Banco do Brasil, with organizing partner Re:wild, and policy partners Open Society Foundations and the Bezos Earth Fund.

During Sunday’s summit, Latin Grammy-nominated musician and philanthropist ALOK was announced as an official Global Citizen Advocate for Power Our Planet and beyond. The campaign calls on world leaders to take urgent action to protect the Amazon rainforest, scale up renewable energy in Africa, phase out fossil fuels, and demand justice for communities most impacted by climate change.

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Shawn Mendes’ High Energy, St. Vincent’s Fulfilled Promise & More Day 2 Highlights from Corona Capital 2024

The second day of the 2024 Corona Capital Festival on Saturday (Nov. 16) turned into a multi-generational party that pleased the younger crowd with the high energy of Shawn Mendes, and the contemporary adult audience with the post-punk and Britpop of New Order and Travis. Amidst this, American singer-songwriter St. Vincent settled an old debt with her Mexican fans as one of the star acts of the day.

On its second day, the festival brought together more than 69,000 attendees — according to promoter Ocesa — who also enjoyed shows by Primal Scream, Melanie Martinez, Black Pumas, The Blaze, Jorja Smith, Tora, Busted and others, across five stages set up at the Curva 4, former headquarters of F1 in Mexico City.

Canadian-Colombian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez, who has written songs for Dua Lipa, delivered a dynamic show, talked to the audience and charmed everyone with her voice and her mix of hip-hop, soul and jazz.

The program continued on Sunday (Nov. 17) with the debut of Paul McCartney at a Latin American music festival and performances by Jack White and Iggy Pop — who said he was bringing guitarist Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — plus Empire of the Sun, Beck, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Leon Bridges, Kim Gordon, Maximo Park and Hermanos Gutiérrez, among others.

Below are five of our favorite moments from day two of the 2024 Corona Capital festival in Mexico City.

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Tyler, The Creator’s ‘CHROMAKOPIA’ Spends Third Week Atop Billboard 200

Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA spends a third consecutive and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart (dated Nov. 23). It’s the artist’s album with the most weeks atop the list, surpassing the two weeks spent at No. 1 by his previous leader, Call Me If You Get Lost in 2021-22.

CHROMAKOPIA earned 104,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending Nov. 14 (down 35% in its third week), according to Luminate.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 chart, TOMORROW X TOGETHER debuts at No. 2 with The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY, marking the sixth top 10-charting set for the group.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Nov. 23, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday (Nov. 19). For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of CHROMAKOPIA’s 104,000 equivalent album units earned in its second week, SEA units comprise 76,000 (down 34%, equaling 106.87 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs; it holds at No. 1 on the Top Streaming Albums chart), album sales comprise 28,000 (down 37%; it’s steady at No. 2 on Top Album Sales) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 35%).

The album continues to profit from sales generated by Tyler, The Creator’s official webstore, with the set’s vinyl, CD, and eight previously available deluxe collectible boxed sets continuing to ship to customers. The third week also saw four additional boxed sets shipped to customers. All boxed sets contain a CD, poster and another branded merch item in a branded box. All physical editions of the album are exclusively sold via the artist’s webstore.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER nabs its sixth top 10-charting effort on the Billboard 200 as The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY debuts at No. 2. The set earned 98,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Album sales comprise 95,500 of that sum (it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 2,500 (equaling 3.74 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across 23 CD variants (all containing collectible branded paper ephemera, some randomized), eight digital download variants (seven were exclusive to the act’s official webstore; all included bonus tracks).

The Star Chapter: SANCTUARY is the group’s second top 10-charting effort of 2024, following No. 3-peaking Minisode 3: TOMORROW in April.

Sabrina Carpenter’s chart-topping Short n’ Sweet slips 2-3 on the Billboard 200 (68,000 equivalent album units earned; up 1%), Gracie Abrams’ The Secret of Us climbs 5-4 (52,000; up 5%) and Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft spikes 7-5 (48,000; up 9%) to round out the top five.

Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a non-mover at No. 6 (47,000; up 3%); Morgan Wallen’s former leader One Thing at a Time rises 10-7 (43,000; up 1%); Taylor Swift’s chart-topping The Tortured Poets Department ascends 9-8 (nearly 43,000; down less than 1%); Rod Wave’s Last Lap falls 8-9 (38,000; down 12%); and Noah Kahan’s Stick Season steps 14-10 (33,000; up 7%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Is Trying to Obstruct Justice From Jail, Prosecutors Say

Sean “Diddy” Combs has tried to reach out to prospective witnesses and influence public opinion from jail in a bid to affect potential jurors for his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors claimed in a court filing urging a judge to reject his latest bail request.

The government accusations were made in a Manhattan federal court filing late Friday (Nov. 15) that opposes the music mogul’s latest $50 million bail proposal. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.

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Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded jail calls made by Combs shows he has asked family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and has urged them to create “narratives” to influence the jury pool. They say he also has encouraged marketing strategies to sway public opinion.

“The defendant has shown repeatedly — even while in custody — that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case. The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions,” prosecutors wrote in a submission that contained redactions.

Prosecutors wrote that it could be inferred from his behavior that Combs wants to blackmail victims and witnesses into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defense.

Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prosecutors said Combs, 55, began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after his September arrest.

He has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

Two judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and a risk to flee.

His lawyers recently made a third request for bail after the rejection of two previous attempts, including a $50 million bail proposal.

In the request, they cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release Combs so he can better prepare for his May 5 trial.

But prosecutors said defense lawyers created their latest bail proposal using some evidence prosecutors turned over to them and the new material was already known to defense lawyers when they made previous bail applications.

In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Combs’ behavior in jail shows he must remain locked up.

For instance, they said, Combs has enlisted family members to plan and carry out a social media campaign around his birthday “with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding.”

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He encouraged his children to post a video to their social media accounts showing them gathered to celebrate his birthday, they said.

Afterward, he monitored the analytics, including audience engagement, from the jail and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case,” they said.

The government also alleged Combs during other calls made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defense against the charges.

“The defendant’s efforts to obstruct the integrity of this proceeding also includes relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” prosecutors wrote.

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Green Day’s Triumphant Return to Mexico, Toto’s Nostalgia & More Day 1 Highlights From Corona Capital 2024

The first day of the 2024 Corona Capital festival on Friday (Nov. 15) celebrated the grand return of Green Day to Mexico after a seven-year absence with a performance that marked the American rock band’s last show of the year. As part of this exciting day, multiple sounds — from punk rock and progressive rock to indie, blues, funk, soul, pop and jazz — were heard in the voices of some of its most representative acts.

On its first day, the festival brought together over 74,000 attendees — according to the promoter Ocesa — who enjoyed shows by The Mars Volta, Warpaint, Cage The Elephant, The Vaccines, BadBadNotGood, Twin Shadow, David Kushner, Clairo, Zedd, French 79, Honne and others, who pleased even the most demanding music lovers gathered at the Curva 4, former headquarters of F1, in Mexico City.

One of the surprises that the festival brought this year was veteran rock band Toto, which attracted thousands of attendees from various generations to one of the main stages to sing at the top of their lungs classics such as “Africa,” “Hold The Line,” “Rossana” and “I’ll Be Over You.” Another of the highlights was the debut of the British singer Raye, whose charisma made her one of the most applauded acts.

The festival continues on Saturday (Nov. 16) with performances by Shawn Mendes, Travis, New Order, Melanie Martinez, Primal Scream, Explosions In The Sky, Black Pumas, Jessie Reyez, Del Water Gap, Michelle, and St. Vincent, who the day before released the Spanish version of her four-time Grammy-nominated album All Born Screaming — Todos Nacen Gritando — as a tribute to her Hispanic followers.

Below, five of our favorite moments from day one of the 2024 Corona Capital festival in Mexico City.

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‘The Voice’ Winner Sundance Head in Stable Condition After Accidentally Shooting Himself

Sundance Head, the 2016 winner of NBC’s The Voice, is in stable condition after accidentally shooting himself in a hunting accident near his Texas ranch.

The 46-year-old country singer (born Jason Head) was hospitalized on Friday (Nov. 15) after the firearm he was handling discharged and struck him in the stomach. The news was first reported by TMZ.

The incident occurred when the singer’s firearm “slipped out of the holster, hit the side of the Jeep, and discharged into his stomach area,” a representative for Head told CBS News.

In a Facebook post through her husband’s account, Head’s wife, Misty, confirmed that the musician was in stable condition and clarified that the shooting was not the result of an intentional act or a hunting rifle.

“It was not his hunting rifle and no nobody shot him,” Misty Head wrote. “He was out of the vehicle reaching in to grab his 22 when he grabbed it the 22 came out of its holster and hit the exterior of the Jeep just right and went off. Sundance said it happened so fast and he could see the bullet dislodging.”

She explained that the bullet entered above Sundance’s navel and lodged into his abdominal wall, narrowly missing all vital organs.

“He will not require surgery as they are not removing the bullet,” Misty wrote. “Being on the bigger side was a good thing. The bullet is in his fatty tissue.”

At the time of the accident, Sundance did not have his cell phone with him, but a passing driver came to his aid and called 911, according to Misty. He was subsequently transported to the hospital for treatment.

Misty assured fans that her husband was in “good spirits” and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. “Kids are in with him now. Prayers answered as no internal damage was done by the bullet. Thank you all for the prayers,” she wrote on Facebook.

Sundance Head, the son of country singer Roy Head, rose to fame as the season 11 winner of The Voice in 2016, where he was a member of Blake Shelton’s team. The Texas native also competed on the sixth season of American Idol. Since his victory on The Voice, Sundance has released two albums, including his most recent, Starting Again, in 2022.

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Taylor Swift Shares ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’ Vinyl Art With Acoustic Track Titles

Taylor Swift gave fans a sneak peek at the Target-exclusive, Black Friday version of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on vinyl and CD, posting an image showing what appears to be the back cover of the vinyl on Instagram. Swift, whose official The Eras Tour Book is also coming to Target the same day as the vinyl/CD release, made the post on Instagram during the first of two weekends of The Eras Tour in Toronto.

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“Just 13 days til The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on vinyl and CD AND The Official Eras Tour Book are all available for the first time ever at @target!” Swift wrote in her post Saturday (Nov. 16).

“International info coming soon,” the pop star added, along with the heart hands emoji.

Swift tagged Beth Garrabant on her post, giving the photographer credit for the Tortured Poets shoot.

The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology was previously available as a digital release only.

The 35-track album is being issued on vinyl ($59.99) and CD ($17.99) for the first time — with four bonus acoustic songs — on Black Friday. It’ll be in Target stores on Nov. 29 and at Target.com the next day, Nov. 30.

Swift’s Instagram post on Saturday shows the track list of the Target-exclusive album release, including the acoustic song titles: “Fortnight (Acoustic Version) (feat. Post Malone),” “Down Bad (Acoustic Version),” “But Daddy I Love Him (Acoustic Version)” and “Guilty as Sin? (Acoustic Version).” All four bonus tracks are acoustic versions of songs from the standard, 16-track The Tortured Poets Department album.

The Official Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book ($39.99) will also be in Target stores on Nov. 29, and available to order on Target’s website Nov. 30. The 256-page hardcover book features personal reflections written by Swift and more than 500 images, including never-before-seen performance photos, rehearsal photos and behind-the-scenes photos from tour.

See Swift’s post counting down to the Nov. 29 release of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on vinyl and CD, which arrives the same day as The Official Eras Tour Book:

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Betty White to Be Honored With Postage Stamp Celebrating the Beloved ‘Golden Girls’ Star

The United States Postal Service might have found a way to unite a nation bitterly divided after this month’s election: It’s releasing a Betty White stamp.

The beloved actor known for roles in The Golden Girls, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Boston Legal, and others will be on a 2025 Forever stamp, USPS announced Friday (Nov. 15).

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White died in late December 2021, less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn’t announced a release date for the stamp.

“An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades,” the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston. “The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals.”

Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston’s photo.

“I’d love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK,” Stephanos posted on Facebook.

Regardless of personal politics, self-proclaimed supporters of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris reacted with delight on social media.

“Betty White was my hero, all of my life! I actually had a doll when I was a little girl I named Betty White,” one Trump supporter posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Something to make this awful week a little better: We’re getting a Betty White stamp,” posted a pro-Harris X account.

White combined a wholesome image with a flair for bawdy jokes. Her television career began in the early 1950s and exploded as she aged.

“The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party,” Seth Meyers posted on Twitter after her death. “A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end.”

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Zach Bryan Completes Deferred Prosecution Agreement, 2023 Arrest Case Closed

Zach Bryan has completed his deferred prosecution agreement connected to his 2023 arrest in Oklahoma, People confirmed with the Craig County, Oklahoma District Attorney’s Office.

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Per the publication, since he completed the six-month agreement, the criminal case against him has been closed. “He admitted responsibility and followed all of the rules and conditions of probation,” District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Michelle Lowry said. Billboard has reached out to Bryan’s reps for more information.

Deferred prosecution agreements are typically used in situations where the person has no criminal record, and is considered an opportunity to take responsibility avoid having a recorded criminal conviction.

In September, footage of Bryan’s arrest made its rounds on the Internet. During the traffic stop, which occurred after Bryan was pulled over for driving 78 mph in a 55 mph zone, and 60 mph in a 35 mph zone, the “Pink Skies” was “clearly aggravated and argumentative,” per the affidavit and ignored officer’s demands for him to get back into his car. He also told officers, “I’ll go to jail. Let’s do it,” and added that situations like his is why “people do not like police officers,” per the document.

Bryan was released on a $1,000 bond after being booked in Craig County jail.

The country singer confirmed the news of his arrest on Sept. 8, admitting that he got “too lippy” with officers. “I was an idiot today. My decisions did not reflect who I was as a person… I should have been smarter about it,” he explained, laying out the full timeline of events from his perspective. “I felt like a child, it was ridiculous, it was immature. And I just pray everyone knows I don’t think I’m above the law. I was just being disrespectful and I shouldn’t have been and it was my mistake,” he said.

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All the 2024 Latin Grammy Performances Ranked

The Latin Grammys celebrated their 25th anniversary November 14 at Miami’s Kaseya Center with an award show that was full of impressive musical moments, from the premiere of Pitbull’s new single “Now Or Never” – a throwback track featuring Jon Bon Jovi — to the medley featuring rising female stars Kali Uchis, Elena Rose and Emilia.

It was an eclectic night with plenty of risk-taking. Very new artists, like Darumas and The Warning (who both happen to be all-female groups) were given solo slots, and major, established artists like Marc Anthony and Alejandro Fernández were willing to step into milestone collaborative moments. Marc Anthony was part of a salsa medley that was a highlight of the evening while Fernández joined David Bisbal, Carlos Rivera, Leonel García and Reik in an homage to iconic Mexican singers.

Person of the Year Carlos Vives got his major Latin Grammy moment with his band La Provincia and plenty of Colombian friends, and while the evening’s big winners were decidedly vintage (Juan Luis Guerra, Jorge Drexler), the show asserted its now factor from the onset, with an opening number hosted by DJ Khaled, who presented performances by three contemporary names: Quevedo, Eladio Carrión and Myke Towers.

While there were no low points in the show, which aired live on Univision, there were certainly highlights among the 15 performances. As is a Billboard tradition after major award shows, we have ranked all performances, from 16 to 1, beginning with the lowest to the highest ranked. Regardless of your personal ranking, our collective enjoyment of this show was unanimous.

Read on to find out who made the top of our list.

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