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

Christian Alicea, Swingkete Vol. 1 – Maratón (Rimas Entertainment)

Alicea’s first album under Rimas Entertainment, his label since February, is exactly what the title suggests: a marathon of tropical gems. In a moment where regional sounds continue to dominate the scene in Latin music — from Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos to Karol G’s Tropicoqueta — Alicea’s Swingkete is a standout, honoring his beloved Puerto Rico fusing traditional styles like bomba, plena and salsa with cumbia and Afrobeat. The salsa singer, formerly a fireman, recruits Jowell & Randy, J Álvarez, Frabian Eli and Eliot “El Mago D Oz,” to help him usher a new era for salsa music.

From beginning to end, the LP is a joy to listen to. From the unexpected but really fun Colombian cumbia “Me Lo Gozo” powered by an earworm chorus to his “Homenaje a J Álvarez,” an ode to the OG reggatonero from Puerto Rico who joins him to sample the anthemic “La Pregunta.”  And then there’s “Carrusel,” a signature fast-paced salsa powered by a potent percussion and commanding brass instruments. He closes with “Gracias,” a violin-led power ballad that shows another side of Alicea. With Swingkete, it’s safe to say that Alicea cements his role as a leading force among the new generation of salsa hitmakers. — GRISELDA FLORES

Gerardo Ortiz, “Échame el Grito” (Badsin Entertainment)

Gerardo Ortiz, one of the most respected figures in regional Mexican music, releases new music for the first time in over a year: the norteño ballad “Échame el Grito,” a preview of his upcoming album. This new track is a great way to remember the artist’s romantic side outside of the corridos that brought him fame a decade ago. It’s accompanied by accordion, guitars, percussion, and even hints of country, all adding to the singer’s heartfelt interpretation of a fervent declaration of love: “Give me a shout/ When you feel like having a beautiful love/ Here you have the No. 1 fan of your eyes,” reads part of the lyrics. It’s a feeling of hope and longing that is conveyed in the music video, recorded in Miami in a somber atmosphere in which Ortiz imagines the woman with whom he wants to share a romance. — TERE AGUILERA

Camilo, “Maldito ChatGPT” (El Taller Creativo/Sony Music Latin)

On “Maldito ChatGPT,” Camilo reflects on a love that’s not worth it — because ChatGPT told him. Produced by Trooko, the Colombian singer-songwriter dives into a captivating house track with deep bass. Penned by the artist himself, alongside Jeffrey Peñalva, “Maldito ChatGPT” is a clever twist on today’s technology with artificial intelligence. “You’re not for me/ ChatGPT told me/ Who knows me better than I know myself/ And I asked him again/ But he said no and I wanted him to say yes,” he chants, before ChatGPT reminds him at the end of the song why he’s better off alone. The music video, which shows a frustrated Camilo looking for answers in an office space, was directed by Evaluna Montaner and Sebastian Andrade at his own El Taller Creativo in Miami. — JESSICA ROIZ

Anuel AA, “Little Demon” (Real Hasta La Muerte)

To give context to his new single “Little Demon,” Anuel opens with a verse from Los Alegres Del Barranco’s “El del Palenque”: “I am the owner of the arena/ Four letters go in the front.” The Mexican group recently faced charges from the Jalisco State Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly advocating crime. In true Anuel fashion, “Little Demon” is a deep, hard-hitting trap where the Puerto Rican artists delves into the harsh realities of the streets, including drug trafficking and cartels. This track is the first single from his upcoming album, RHLM2, which pays tribute to his musical roots with a raw and authentic essence. “I’m not making music for the industry; I’m only working to stay true to myself,” he said to Billboard during his exclusive album listening session in Miami this week. — INGRID FAJARDO

Wampi & Leoni Torres, “La Última” (Awaken Music/Virgin Music Latin)

Wampi has steered away from his R&B-infused Reparto sound for a smooth heartfelt ballad in collaboration with Leoni Torres. In “La Última,” Cuba’s breakout star and the country’s prolific singer-songwriter join forces to sing about two lovebirds meeting at the wrong time. “Many relationships don’t work out because a couple meets before the time is right. [This song] explores that phenomenon and there’s nobody better to tell that story with than Leoni […] I grew up listening to Leoni and he’s influenced my music greatly; especially my songwriting and delivery on slow songs,” Wampi, who penned and produced the jazzy tune, said in a press statement. “La Última” forms part of Wampi’s forthcoming El Rey de la Habana album — his debut studio set under Virgin Music Latin. — J.R.

Maye, Música Para Abrir El Cielo (Pink Poetry)

Venezuelan artist Maye presents her debut album, Música Para Abrir El Cielo, an organic fusion of dream pop with nuances of bossa nova, bolero, and Latin influences, articulated with a contemporary Gen Z sensibility. Maye, who gained attention a few years ago when her song “Tú” was included in Barack Obama’s 2020 playlist of favorite songs, delivers eleven tracks that highlight her angelic performance and poetic lyrical sensitivity, perceptible from the opening of the set with “Open the Sky,” which establishes the aesthetic for the rest of the album.

From the enveloping “Peter Pan,” with its bossa nova feel and nostalgia-filled guitars, to the sensual contemporary bolero “Luna de Miel,” to the dynamic “Una Medalla” and “Lento” with Rawayana — which, although with a more pronounced groove, do not break the overall atmosphere — the album displays an extravaganza of styles and sonic influences, skillfully produced. Throughout the journey, Maye builds a nostalgic, sensual, and ethereal sound universe that invites you to fully immerse yourself. — LUISA CALLE

Check out more Latin recommendations this week below:

On June 18, Kendrick Lamar and SZA wrapped the North American leg of their co-billed Grand National Tour. The run’s 23 shows grossed $256.4 million and sold 1.1 million tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. That makes it the highest grossing reported co-headline tour ever.

After the first leg of the tour, Lamar and SZA top Billboard’s ranking of the 40 biggest co-billed tours in Boxscore history. It’s a narrow victory, surpassing Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour (2018) by less than $3 million, or just 1%. In terms of ticket sales, the Carters still reign with 2.2 million tickets sold, though Lamar and SZA could make up the difference by the time the tour wraps later this year.

The Grand National Tour and On the Run II Tour are the only co-headline runs that have made more than $200 million, while just four more crossed $100 million, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s first On the Run Tour in 2014. The co-headline ranking is littered with classic rock and country tours, but hip-hop easily takes the top two spots, and half of the top six.

While Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour still looms in the distance among the highest grossing tours by R&B artists ($579.8 million), Lamar now has the biggest stadium tour ever among rappers.

The Grand National Tour kicked off on April 19 in Minneapolis and then hit 18 more cities in the United States and Canada. That routing included double-headers in New York and Toronto, and three shows in Los Angeles.

The L.A. stop at SoFi Stadium was a homecoming for Lamar, yielding the biggest gross and attendance of the tour so far. On May 21, 23 and 24, the Grand National Tour grossed a collective $40.4 million from 147,000 tickets. The June 4 show in SZA’s hometown of St. Louis (The Dome at America’s Center) was just as well attended as any of the L.A. dates (48,600) on a gross of $8.8 million.

The Grand National Tour is easily the biggest concert run of Lamar and SZA’s careers to date. The former sold out arenas on The Big Steppers Tour in 2022-23, and the latter did so on the SOS Tour in 2023-24. But while those international jaunts averaged $1.6 million and $1.8 million per show, respectively, Grand National is pacing $11.1 million each night, toppling both solo runs six times over.

In the case of any successful co-headline tour, one plus one should equal two (at least). But beyond the simple math of combining these rap and R&B superstars, both acts are riding buzzing momentum. Lamar released GNX in November and SZA dropped SOS Deluxe: LANA in December. Each record featured a Lamar/SZA duet, and the former’s “Luther” spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart beyond the tour’s first month. Add to that, both shared the stage during the Super Bowl LIX halftime show following Grammy wins for 2024 hits “Not Like Us” and “Saturn.”

Lamar and SZA will kick off the tour’s European leg on July 2 in Cologne, Germany. It’s the first of 16 shows, including double-headers in Frankfurt, London and Paris. Then, they hit Latin America for five dates before two nights in Australia December, when the tour will hit Sydney and Melbourne. Both artists are bigger earners in the U.S. than overseas, which is to be expected for any American act, especially in hip-hop. Still, a 15%-20% dip in nightly grosses in Australia and a 35% drop-off in Europe and Latin America would put the Grand National Tour on track for a $400 million finish.

Beyoncé is back, in case you hadn’t heard. Across 12 shows in May, the Cowboy Carter Tour grossed $157.4 million and sold 567,000 tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

It’s the second biggest reported monthly gross in Boxscore history – second only to herself. Beyoncé brought in $179.3 million in August 2023, in the heat of the Renaissance World Tour. Since the monthly charts launched in 2019, there have only been seven instances of nine-digit grosses, and Beyoncé is responsible for four of them.

After kicking off the Cowboy Carter Tour with one show on April 28, Beyoncé continued her Los Angeles run with four more shows at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium on May 1, 4, 7, and 9. Then she hit Chicago, with three shows at Soldier Field before rounding out the month with five shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. (New York area).

Those runs grossed $44.6 million ($55.7 million including the April 28 show), $42.5 million, and $70.3 million, respectively, running the table at Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on Top Boxscores. As previously reported, the L.A. batch became 2025’s biggest reported single-venue engagement and went down as the fifth biggest ever. And as predicted, Beyoncé outdid herself in New York. Now, the MetLife dates reign – not only as the biggest of 2025, but as the biggest stadium engagement in Boxscore history.

May marks Beyoncé’s fifth month at No. 1 on Top Tours, out of seven total appearances on the chart. She ties Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the second-most time on top, behind a three-way tie between Bad Bunny, Coldplay, and Elton John, each with seven.

The Cowboy Carter Tour has grossed $269.8 million and sold 1.1 million tickets in its first 22 shows, including L.A.’s opening night in April and nine shows in June, in London and Paris. It has already out-earned all of Beyoncé’s previous tours except for the Renaissance World Tour, which brought in $579.8 million over 56 shows in 2023.

Ten shows remain as Beyoncé returns stateside, playing hometown shows this weekend (June 28-29) in Houston, before hitting Landover, Md. (Washington, D.C. area), Atlanta, and Las Vegas. American shows have averaged $13 million so far. Even if business dips a bit from L.A. and New York highs, the Cowboy Carter Tour will challenge a $400 million finish.

It’s rare for any artist to gross more than $100 million in one month, but it’s unprecedented for two to do it. In a nail-biter, Kendrick Lamar and SZA log a second consecutive month at No. 2. The Grand National Tour matched Beyoncé’s 12-show run in May, grossing $150.4 million from 615,000 tickets sold. Lamar and SZA fall 4% short of Beyoncé’s May earnings but score the month’s most-attended tour.

Like Beyoncé, Lamar and SZA played multiple nights at MetLife Stadium and SoFi Stadium. Those stops brought in $24.8 million (May 8-9) and $40.4 million (May 21, 23-24), respectively, lining up at Nos. 5-6 on Top Boxscores. Those tours, plus Shakira at MetLife and Stray Kids at SoFi, push them to the top two spots on the Top Stadiums ranking.

But while Beyoncé consolidated her tour to select key markets, Lamar and SZA hit seven other cities. Shows in Seattle (Lumen Field, May 17) and Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium, May 31) grossed $15.4 million and $14.6 million, respectively. All nine stops on the Grand National Tour appear on Top Boxscores, with three in the top 10, and another five in the top 20.

With four shows in April and another seven in June, Lamar and SZA wrapped the North American leg of the Grand National Tour with $256.4 million and 1.1 million tickets sold. That makes it the highest-grossing reported co-headline tour in Boxscore history, narrowly surpassing – who else – Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s On the Run II Tour from 2018.

Post Malone follows, solidly at No. 3 with $96.9 million and 569,000 tickets sold. He trails Lamar and SZA by more than $50 million and leads Metallica at No. 4 by almost another $50 million. His first stadium tour, with an assist from special guest Jelly Roll, is hitting baseball fields like Chicago’s Wrigley Park and football fields like Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. (30 miles from Boston).

The former are typically smaller, yielding 30,000-45,000 tickets per show, while the latter typically move more than 50,000. His most-attended show of the month was his May 3 show at Allegiant Stadium with 52,900 tickets.

From the top three and beyond, summer stadium season is off and running. The only non-stadium engagements on Top Boxscores are residency runs in Las Vegas from Kenny Chesney, Dead & Company, and Bruno Mars.

And even though the weather has begun to permit outdoor shows in North America, the sun is still shining on international concerts. Lady Gaga’s four-night run at Singapore’s National Stadium grossed $40.8 million off 193,000 tickets, at No. 4 on Top Boxscores. They were Gaga’s only shows of the month but still power her No. 6 rank on Top Tours.  

June is Black Music Month, and while this month’s Boxscore report won’t publish until July, the May recap shines a spotlight on some of the summer’s biggest tours by Black artists. Beyoncé, Lamar and SZA dominate the Top Tours chart, and they are joined in the top 10 by The Weeknd and Tyler, the Creator.

The Weeknd is No. 7 on Top Tours with $34.5 million from just five shows. His double-header at Chicago’s Soldier Field is No. 7 on Top Boxscores from $16.7 million and 94,500 tickets sold over May 30-31. Two shows at Detroit’s Ford Field follow at No. 28 with $9.1 million and 71,100 tickets.

Tyler, the Creator is No. 9 on Top Tours with $22.8 million from the European leg of Chromakopia: The World Tour. Also across the pond, Usher is No. 23 with $9.8 million as he wraps up in Berlin and London.

Drake has responded to T-Pain’s comments regarding the 6 God allegedly not taking his own advice when it comes to “gracefully” exiting the rap game.

“The one thing I learned from Drake, here’s the crazy thing, the one thing I learned from but one thing he hasn’t followed — his own words,” T-Pain explained on a recent episode of the Crash Dummies Podcast. “Drake said, ‘I want to be one of those people that gracefully bows out and not get kicked out.’”

The “Buy U a Drank” singer’s comments went viral on Thursday (June 26). Drake quickly got wind of T-Pain’s words and fired back at the Florida native on Instagram.

Drizzy claimed in a comment on Instagram: “This guy always had resentment for me [laughing-crying emoji] you can hear it every time he speaks on my name.”

Offset also had Drake’s back. “Da Boy is da boy s–t ain’t gone change,” the Migos rapper chimed in. “Hating on another grown man who do more numbers than everybody is Diabolical!”

T-Pain also said on Crash Dummies that Drake is sticking around too long. “I have ever since said, ‘Thank y’all, I appreciate y’all. I’ll see y’all when I drop — don’t worry about it, I’ll just drop something,” he added. “Let me know if you heard it.’ Drake is like, ‘No, listen, I got another one. Hold on, check this out. Y’all ain’t like that one? OK, real quick, just one more. Let me try one more.’”

Drake first teased the idea of retirement during a 2023 interview with Lil Yachty. “I think I’m at the point now where I just wanna like — I feel like maybe we talked about this the other day,” he said. “I feel like I’m kinda introducing the concept in my mind of a graceful exit.”

It doesn’t appear that Drake has any intentions of slowing down either. He teamed up with PARTYNEXTDOOR for their $ome $exy $ongs 4 U joint album earlier this year and is said to be hard at work on his upcoming solo effort.