Just days after teasing a new project on social media, Tyler, The Creator has announced he’s dropping a new album on Monday (July 21).

During his concert at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on Friday (July 18), the 34-year-old rapper and producer shouted to the crowd what appears to be the title of his ninth album, Don’t Tap the Glass, according to Variety. Outside the venue, fans spotted an art installation featuring a muscular figure enclosed in a clear box — seemingly a nod to the upcoming album’s cover art.

In the days leading up to the show, Tyler hinted at a surprise set for July 21 by posting cryptic images on his Instagram, including a Louis Vuitton bag, a mannequin’s head and a trumpet player in a band uniform. On Saturday (July 19) morning, he dropped a link to donttaptheglass.com, a website promoting the new album and featuring vinyl, T-shirts and hats branded with the album title.

The website also displayed three color-coded boxes with cryptic messages: a blue box reading, “Body movement. No sitting still”; a yellow one stating, “Only speak in glory. Leave your baggage at home”; and a red box that read, “Don’t tap the glass.”

Billboard has reached out to Tyler, The Creator’s representatives for more details about the upcoming release.

In late June, Tyler and Doechii previewed their Pharrell-produced track “Get Right” during the Louis Vuitton SS26 show in Paris. The song marks their second collaboration, following “Balloon” from Tyler’s 2024 Billboard 200-topping album Chromakopia. It remains unclear whether “Get Right” will be included on his new album.

Don’t Tap the Glass follows last year’s Chromakopia, which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The 14-track album featured guest appearances from Doechii, Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Sexyy Red, Daniel Caesar, and others. Tyler is currently touring North America in support of the album and will soon head to Australia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines.

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.

Intocable Teams Up with the Latin Grammys

The norteño band will be donating $1 from every ticket sold during their North American Antología Tour 2025 to benefit the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation, according to a press release. The donation will support the foundation’s programs dedicated to promoting music education through scholarships, grants and other programs focused on supporting the next generation of Latin music creators.

“For us, music has been a way of life,” Ricky Muñoz, lead vocalist and co-founder of Intocable, said in a statement. “If we can help talented young people receive an education and better opportunities, then each concert will have even more meaning.” Raquel “Rocky” Egusquiza, executive director of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation added, “Their support makes educational opportunities, scholarships, and grants possible for students, and serves as an example and inspiration for young musicians following in their footsteps.”

Los Bukis’ Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Monday that they will honor Los Bukis on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on July 23 at 11:30am PT. The legendary grupero band from Mexico will be honored with the 2,817th star on the walkway, located at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard in the recording category. Fans around the world can watch the live stream at walkoffame.com.

Gloria Estefan at Hispanidad 2025

Cuban star Gloria Estefan will perform at Hispanidad 2025, set to take place on Oct. 5 at the Plaza de Colón in the heart of Madrid. This free event will be part of the official celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Day organized by the Community of Madrid.

According to a press release, Estefan will perform some her most iconic songs, including “Mi Tierra,” “Conga” and “Hoy,” alongside tracks from her new album Raíces. “Raíces speaks to how love and life are like sowing seeds: what you nurture with faith, patience, and dedication will eventually bear fruit,” Estefan said in a statement. “It’s a true honor to share such a meaningful milestone in a city that has always embraced Latin culture so warmly. Madrid holds a very special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to celebrate our roots together.”

Pitbull’s 305 on Apple Maps

Pitbull is celebrating the 10th anniversary of DALE, his Latin Grammy-winning album released on July 17, 2015, which marked a defining moment in his career. To commemorate the milestone, the Cuban-American star teamed up with Apple Maps to launch an all-new ‘Hyperlocal’ guide titled “Pitbull’s Miami Spots.” The curated list features some of Pitbull’s favorite places across the 305. Pitbull joins a number of Latin acts who’ve partnered with Apple Maps to create hyperlocal guides, including Young Miko, Becky G and Camila Cabello.

“Anything’s possible in the 305,” the hitmaker said in a statement. “DALE is more than just an album — it’s a celebration of where I come from, what I believe in, and what we can build when we do it together. I’m proud to share the places that shaped me, inspired me, and keep me grounded.”

Tomorrowland 2025 opened the entirety of its site to attendees earlier Friday (July 18) in Boom, Belgium, just two days after a fire destroyed the dance festival’s mainstage.

The development occurred after the festival announced Thursday (July 17) that it might either sequester a portion of its day one attendees to a stage in the festival’s camping area for sets by the Friday headliners, or open the entire site to all day one guests.

Workers on site at the event were able to clear the mainstage area and then construct a new stage setup to host the event’s headlining acts, which on Friday included Nervo, Axwell, Martin Garrix, Alok, Artbat & Kolsch and Meduza. As seen in the stream and photos shared by the festival on social media, the quickly constructed new mainstage is built from a DJ booth and a wall of LED panels, behind which the remains of the massive structure that burned are visible, along with heavy machinery.

The set-up can be seen in the event’s livestream, which is being broadcast from several of the festival’s roughly 16 stages. The mainstage lineup is available here and the rest of the performances are available here.

No one was injured in the fire, and its cause has not yet been announced.

The current situation at Tomorrowland is arguably the best possible outcome following the unprecedented fire. On Wednesday (July 16), the festival advised that there was a chance it might not open at all if the site was determined unsafe by the authorities, but that go-ahead came and the event managed to construct a new mainstage in time to open the entirety of the site.

In the hours before the festival opened for its first day on Friday, organizers posted a statement announcing, “Dear People of Tomorrow, WE ARE READY FOR YOU! Our teams are working day and night, with heart and soul, to turn the impossible into reality: Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 will open doors at 14:00. An alternative setup for the beloved Mainstage is planned to open at 16:00, pending any last-minute changes. All artists will perform as scheduled on all other stages as from 14:00. Tomorrowland will unite, stronger than ever!”

The first weekend of Tomorrowland 2025 continues until Sunday (July 20), while its second weekend is happening July 25-27.

TikTok’s global CEO is requesting an urgent meeting with government officials in advance of the company’s ordered shutdown in Canada.

Following an order citing national security risks last November, the social media app is preparing to wind down its Canadian operations. While TikTok has vowed to fight the order, the clock is ticking. Last week, TikTok Canada halted its arts sponsorships throughout the country.

“We are still looking to get to the table,” said Steve de Eyre, director of TikTok’s government affairs for Canada, in an interview with Bloomberg. “Time is running out,” he continued, though the company hasn’t shared a timeline.

On July 2, TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, wrote a letter to minister of innovation, science and industry Mélanie Joly requesting an urgent in-person meeting within the next two weeks.

In the letter, obtained by Billboard Canada, Chew writes: “The windup process is rapidly approaching a critical juncture where, unless you intervene, TikTok will be forced to fire all of its Canadian employees.”

The app would also have to halt investment and support for creators, the letter says. TikTok will still be available on app stores for Canadians to download after the proposed shutdown.

Chew’s letter warns that without government intervention, the ByteDance-owned platform will be forced to terminate its entire Canadian workforce. The platform says it has paid $340 million in Canadian taxes from 2019 to 2024, employing about 350 people across its Toronto and Vancouver offices, citing 14 million Canadian users. De Eyre tells Bloomberg that some employees have left for other opportunities since the shutdown order, and they aren’t legally allowed to rehire for those roles.

In his letter, Chew criticizes the lack of response to TikTok’s requests, especially since the shutdown order came before Mark Carney was elected and while Justin Trudeau was still Prime Minister of Canada.

“There is no upside to this outdated and counterproductive government order, which was issued under a different government and in a different era, and which doesn’t reflect today’s reality,” he writes.

“This order will only punish Canadian workers and content creators, without addressing supposed security concerns. No evidence has been presented to show that TikTok is itself a security threat to Canada; rather, this order is based on sensationalized reporting and tenuous claims of national security — none of which are addressed by shutting down our local offices.”

Chew writes that the company has made repeated requests to discuss solutions through the national security review process, but has not had any substantive discussions with the Canadian government. He proposes solutions through enhanced data security protocols and platform transparency and oversight measures to “provide greater accountability on issues such as online safety, elections and foreign interference.”

Though Wednesday (July 16) marked his two-week timeframe, Chew has not yet received a meeting with Minister Joly.

Read more here.

The Prism Prize Goes on Pause

The Prism Prize is hitting pause.

As one of Canada’s biggest boosters for music videos, the annual award recognizes the best Canadian music video of the year, with the winner getting a $20,000 cash prize. The MVP Project is also going on hiatus this year.

Known as the richest cash prize for music videos in North America, the award has recognized videos for songs by a variety of artists, including Charlotte Day Wilson, Kaytranada, Snotty Nose Rez Kids and Mustafa, who took home the award for a second time at last year’s ceremony.

For founder Louis Calabro, vp of programming & awards at the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the purpose of the break is to inspire new ideas and adapt to the current music video landscape.

“The decision to pause is a proactive move,” he says. “The Prism Prize was a success, but I have the mentality that you shouldn’t wait for something to crumble. You start to re-evaluate so you can fire it up even better.”

When Calabro launched the award independently in 2012 alongside Neil Haverty, it was a pivotal moment for music videos. MuchMusic was on the wane, and YouTube was taking over as the primary platform for the medium. Funding was dwindling too, with Bell Media later axing the MuchFACT music video grant in 2017 after the CRTC removed the condition in its MuchMusic TV license. That fund contributed $2 million annually for music videos.

The Prism Prize evolved to meet the moment. While initially independent, it became part of the Academy (which also administers the Canadian Screen Awards) soon after — recognizing music videos and their creators not only as part of the music industry, but the film and TV industry as well. Artists like Director X, Karena Evans and Chandler Levack and more all kept a foot in the medium while also moving into TV and film.

Six years later, the Academy and Prism Prize launched the Music Video Production (MVP) Project in collaboration with RBC, which acted as a juried incubator and funder for Canadian videos. That grant brought in just shy of $2 million of funding and created 137 videos with grants valued between $5,000 and $15,000.

“There wasn’t a single funding change that triggered the pause,” Calabro says. But in order for the Prism Prize to continue delivering the production quality and visuals it’s known for, finding new partners is key. “That’s part of why we’re speaking with various funding agencies, to ensure we can continue to evolve and meet the high standard we’ve set,” he explains.

While Calabro says the two hiatuses are not directly connected, there is a shared desire to emphasize a top-tier quality of the work or the events slipping due to resource pressures. “We felt it was the right time to pause, reevaluate and take the space to explore what the next version of each initiative could look like,” Calabro says.

Read more here.

Pride at Warner Music Canada Hosts Its First Songcamp for Trans and Non-Binary Artists

A new songcamp is creating space for trans and non-binary artists in the Canadian music industry.

On July 7, in collaboration with Canadian singer-songwriter T. Thomason, Pride at Warner Music Canada hosted Track4Track, a songwriting camp and mentorship program designed for trans and non-binary musicians. The initiative aims to bridge the gap between emerging and established creatives, providing a space where everyone can create freely in community and safety.

For its inaugural edition, the initiative (also known as T4T) hosted 12 trans and non-binary artists. The songcamp was an idea that blossomed between Erin Carroll, a Warner Music Canada publicist and the Pride at Warner Music Canada co-chair, alongside co-organizer and participant T. Thomason.

Now a well-established artist on Six Shooter Records, Thomason’s idea goes back to shortly after he was a contestant on CTV’s singing competition show The Launch. Every time he was writing songs with outside songwriters or producers, he felt like he was being made to share variations of his “journey” as a trans person, whether or not it was relevant to the songs they were making.

“I started thinking about an all trans writing camp back in 2019, when I found myself in more and more pop writing sessions where I was consistently the only trans person,” he tells Billboard Canada. “It is so rare for a room to be made up entirely of trans people in a mainstream music setting, but this camp showed that it is possible, and it is powerful.”

When the Pride at WMC team brought the idea forward, Carroll knew Thomason was the right fit to co-organize the songcamp.

“Building a space and atmosphere for these artists in which they could be themselves brought forward the beginnings of some incredible music,” shares Carroll. “There are so many amazing trans and non-binary Canadian musicians, and I’m glad we were able to foster an environment for this community to continue to thrive.”

This year’s participants include artists like Nefe, R.Flex, Melody McKiver, club-pop artist Ceréna, rapper Kimmortal, DIANA’s Carmen Elle and multi-hyphenate creative Wild Black, along with producer Truss and Juno-winning engineer Beau Cassidy.

In the music industry, Thomason says it’s rare for a recording session to include more than one trans person, let alone 12. That’s what made it such a “healing and transformative” experience, he says, and represents what the music industry could look like in the future: “I want as many people to experience that feeling as possible.”

Among the mentors was Atlantic-signed artist corook, known for viral hits like “THEY!” and “If I Were a Fish,”

“Writing rooms are always a vulnerable place, so there was something really powerful about having all the artists, writers and producers in those rooms be gender queer,” they say. “This writing camp showed me how powerful it would be to get to experience that kind of comfort, and it’s now something I want to seek out for myself.”

While there are no concrete plans to host a second songcamp, this type of programming is a step forward for supporting trans, non-binary and two-spirit artists. “We’re happy there was intentional space created for the community, and hope the future brings bigger and longer song camps,” says Carroll.

For Thomason, the impact of the T4T songcamp is just the beginning of boundary-pushing in the music industry.

“The artists who attended brought their absolute A-game and the songs that came out of it are reflections of what happens when creatives are given a space to focus on expression, connection [and] joy,” he says.

Find a full list of participating artists here.

YURIYAN RETRIEVER has carved out a unique position in Japanese entertainment as a prize-winning comedian, Netflix star, voice actor, TV/radio personality and occasional rapper. The versatile entertainer is now adding solo recording artist to her long list of titles, kicking off her latest endeavor with a debut single called “YURIYAN TIME.” The catchy new track was co-written by yonkey, producer of ATARASHII GAKKO!’s hit singles “OTONABLUE” and “Suki Lie,” based on the things Yuriyan currently has to say or is angry about. The 34-year-old multi-hyphenate — whose stage name as a singer is stylized in all caps — has been based in the U.S. since last fall, and she chatted with Billboard Japan about her new single and future as an artist in this new interview.

First, tell us about your musical history. Did you always like listening to music?

Yes. When I was in elementary school, I dreamed of becoming a comedian someday, but also always wanted to join (J-pop girl group) Morning Musume. I have a sister who is two years older than me and used to borrow Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears CDs from her when I was in junior high. As soon as I got home from school, I’d spend time playing those CDs and looking at the lyrics on the liner notes. I lived in a rural area, so there was nowhere to go after extracurricular activities and my only pastime was to sing (at home).

I think the first CD I bought was Sum 41’s Chuck (2004). I thought they looked cool, so I bought it even though I didn’t know their songs. In high school, I was pretty much into (dance and vocal group) EXILE. I met someone I liked in my senior year and he loved EXILE. I wanted him to notice me, so I put a boombox in my bag and listened to EXILE during lunch time close to where he was hanging out.

I imagine the battle rap show Freestyle Teacher was also a turning point for you.

I’d never rapped before that show. [Japan’s top hip-hop artists coached participants with no prior rapping experience to eventually face off in freestyle.] I was in a street dance club in college, and hip-hop is my favorite genre. I like Morning Musume and J-pop and band music, but hip-hop in particular really gives me a boost. You can say what you want through rhymes, and be like, [says in English] “This is exactly what I wanna do!” It makes me stronger. Honestly, I like freestyle battling because my opponent will eventually forget what I said during a bout and by the time I get home, I never remember what they said, either.

Later on, I was invited to rap on Awich’s “Bad Bi*** Bigaku Remix.” When I was listening to the recording of the track on the Shinkansen bullet train, it was so soul stirring that my eyebrows began to rise and I found myself glaring at the people around me, like, “Just you wait and see, got that?” Even though everyone was just peacefully eating their lunches and stuff. [Laughs]

How did that eventually lead to your debut as a solo recording artist?

I often talk with my manager about what I want to become. I just say stuff without thinking at all about practicalities, so one day I said, “I want to be like Ariana Grande.” And my manager was like, “Let’s talk to Universal about that.” Then I found myself in a meeting with them, and yonkey agreed to work on a song with me and… My life is being assembled through low-key “Then we’ll help you be like that” “Cool, I’ll do it” turn of events, but it’s still hard to believe.

So things worked out quicker than you expected. What do you like so much about Ariana Grande?

Just hearing that Ariana is going to do something is exciting, isn’t it? I don’t want this to be like, “Oh, YURIYAN RETRIEVER (the comedian) is releasing a song.” I want people to know that there’s someone called YURIYAN RETRIEVER in this world. I remember talking about how it’d be great if YURIYAN’s existence would spread and she’s reimported back to Japan. I’m really happy that people recognize YURIYAN RETRIEVER as a comedian, but while that’s my foundation, I don’t want to set any limits. In the end, I want to become a genre called “Yuriyan Retriever.”

What thoughts went into “YURIYAN TIME”?

yonkey put together the thoughts and feelings that I sent him to make it into a song that introduces me. Like, “This is the kind of person I am, so shut your trap.” The message is, “People may say all kinds of things about me, but this is who I am so just shut up,” and yonkey expressed it in a pop, yet powerful way. I have fun singing it and it cheers me up.

The lyrics are full of things that have made me who I am today. For example, the word “bigaku” (aesthetics) comes from Awich’s “Bad Bi*** Bigaku Remix,” and my life changed a lot after playing the professional wrestler Dump Matsumoto in Netflix’s The Queen of Villains, so yonkey included her name. Also (physical trainer) Tomo Okabe, who helped me with my body building. I owe her my life. The song is really like a series of flashbacks of my life so far.

The way the song suddenly shifts to an enka-like melody [enka is a genre of Japanese popular ballads] is striking.

It was exciting how such a cool, uptempo song suddenly becomes enka-like and I was like, “yonkey, you’re too good!” It reminds me of Kill Bill in that it sounds like it’s joking but it’s being done in an exquisitely cool way, and I’m so pleased about that.

How do you feel now that you’ve made your debut as a solo recording artist?

I never imagined… I still find it hard to believe. I’d first like to thank the people at Universal Music Group for saying, “Let’s do it together” when I went to them and said something nuts like, “Excuse me, I want to be Ariana Grande.”

Right now, [says in English] “I’m in Los Angeles,” so I want to perform at Coachella! That’s a dream of mine, and I hope we can make it there together. I do want to be Ariana Grande, of course, but from now on I want to be like a circus, not someone who is like another person. I want to be a one-woman art collective, not just a comedian or a rapper. I’m not making sense anymore [Laughs], but I hope to be a fun person.

Your debut track is sung in Japanese, but considering you’re based in the U.S. now, can we expect to hear English songs from you in the future?

Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West raps in Japanese on a song she’s featured in, and I was like, “Maybe the Japanese language will become a trend.” I’m open to performing in English eventually, but since I’m in the U.S., I thought it’d be nice if people took interest in Japanese and tried to sing it. Like the way I wanted to sing Britney’s songs back in junior high although I didn’t understand what was written on the liner notes, it’d be great if people take interest in singing in Japanese even if they don’t understand it, because they find it cute and interesting, and the song is fun and cool.

Lastly, what kind of person would you say YURIYAN is?

I’d say she’s more than a handful. [Laughs]

This interview by Atsuo Nagahori first appeared on Billboard Japan.