Shakira tops Billboard’s monthly Top Tours chart for the first time, earning $32.9 million from 282,000 tickets sold in February, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

The Top Tours ranking in recent times has been repeatedly led by acts who have crowned the list previously. P!nk returned for her fourth victory in October, followed by Coldplay’s fifth in November. Trans-Siberian Orchestra popped up for a fifth time in December, and then Coldplay returned to the summit in January.

Shakira follows Bad Bunny, Los Bukis, and RBD among Latin artists who have topped the monthly ranking, making her the first solo Latin woman to hit No. 1.

Not only is this Shakira’s first month at No. 1, but it’s also her very first appearance on the 30-position chart. The tally’s first edition covered the biggest tours of February 2019, which was three months after the wrap of her previous outing, 2018’s El Dorado World Tour.

Shakira kicked off Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour on Feb. 11 at Rio de Janeiro’s Estadio Nilton Santos with a $2.9 million gross with 35,200 fans. Her pace accelerated throughout the month, to $6.4 million in Sao Paulo on the 13th, to $11.3 million in Atlantico, Colombia, on the 20th and 21st, and finally to $12.3 million during a double header at Bogota’s El Nemesio Camacho (Feb. 26-27). The two Colombia stops finish at Nos. 3 (Bogota) and 6 (Atlantico) on Top Boxscores.

For almost 30 years, Shakira has been a reliable sellout act in arenas, while flirting with stadiums. Her 2025 outing thrusts her into major-market stadiums, almost exclusively, for the first time. So while her Latin American dates across the 21st century have averaged $1 million to $1.5 million per show, her February shows paced $5.5 million and 47,000 tickets each night.

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour continues in Mexico, Chile and back to Columbia through April, before taking Shakira to the U.S. and Canada through the end of June. Including two rescheduled dates in Lima, Peru, in November, the tour will likely soar passed $200 million in total grosses, potentially tripling her career earnings by the end of 2025.

Tyler, the Creator follows on Top Tours at No. 2 with the first shows from Chromakopia: The World Tour. It’s his highest ranking ever, having previously hit No. 10 in March 2022, plus two other top 20 appearances in autumn 2019. He’s only the third rapper to rank as high since the chart’s launch, following Post Malone (No. 1 in October 2019 and February 2020) and Travis Scott (No. 2 in October 2024).

Across 14 shows in February, he grossed $29 million and sold 188,000 tickets. The Chromakopia outing isn’t Tyler’s first rodeo in arenas, though it does continue an alarming rise among the ranks of headliners. Averaging $2.1 million per night, the tour doubles 2022’s Call Me If You Get Lost Tour ($993,000). That tour did the same to 2019’s Igor Tour ($414,000), which itself had two-timed the pace of 2017-18’s Flower Boy Tour ($177,000). For kickers, that run quadrupled 2016’s Okaga, CA Tour ($41,700).

That’s a consistent rise that has grown Tyler’s per-show earnings potential almost 50 times over, over the course of less than a decade. His March schedule is busier than February’s (17 shows vs. 14), before the tour travels to Europe, back to North America and then to Australia and Asia before the end of September.

February’s 10 highest grossing acts are evenly spread across country, Latin, pop, rap and rock. Even among pop and rock, each with multiple acts in the upper tier, there is diversity: that of language and geography between ATEEZ (No. 7) and Ed Sheeran (No. 8), and a generational gap to separate the Eagles (No. 5) from Linkin Park (No. 9).

Mexico City and Australia split the prize atop the monthly venue rankings. The former’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez crowns Top Stadiums, powered entirely by Electric Daisy Carnival’s $20.9 million over Feb. 21-23. Auditorio Nacional rules Top Venues (5,001-10k capacity) with a broader stroke of 22 shows during the 28-day window.

Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena is No. 1 among venues with a capacity of 15,001 or more, thanks in large part to multi-night runs by Drake and Billie Eilish. And Brisbane Entertainment Center wins the 10,001-15k category with $17.2 million from 13 shows.

Thanks to substantial tours from Tyler, the Creator, Kylie Minogue, Kelsea Ballerini and more, AEG Presents presides over Top Promoters. The global touring giant earned $201.8 million and sold just under two million tickets from a reported 687 shows in February.

From “In West Philadelphia born and raised” to now having a street named after him in his hometown, Will Smith will forever be synonymous with Philadelphia.

Smith was honored on Wednesday (March 26) during a ceremony celebrating the 56-year-old artist having a street named after him in West Philadelphia. From here on out, 59th Street in West Philly will now be known as Will Smith Way.

“When I thought about the Will Smith Way, the Will Smith Way was encompassed in the lessons I got from my father, my mother and my grandmother,” Smith said. “I think about them as a triangle that represents the Will Smith Way. I think about my father as the base of that triangle.”

He continued while rocking an Overbrook High School class of 1986 varsity jacket: “My father taught me that you don’t get anything without discipline and hard work. You can’t make a life if you’re not willing to suffer and work for your dreams.”

Smith went on to highlight his mother’s emphasis on education and his grandmother’s love for God while living completely in service.

The Academy Award-winning actor also pointed out a teacher from his sophomore year of high school who gave him the nickname “Prince Charming,” which led to The Fresh Prince being born in the classic ’90s sitcom.

“The name ‘The Fresh Prince’ was coined in that building,” Smith said about Overbrook High School. “I added the fresh because it was hip-hop slang.”

Smith is returning with his first album in 20 years on Friday (March 28), when Based On a True Story hits streaming services.

Watch him accept his Will Smith Way street honor in Philly below.

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The 2025 men’s NCAA college basketball national championships (a.k.a. March Madness) is officially underway with the Sweet 16 set and scheduled starting on Thursday (Mar. 27). And there are multiple ways to watch and stream the games and tournament online. Want to watch March Madness? Here’s what you need to know.

March Madness 2025 Dates

NCAA March Madness continues with the Sweet 16, which goes from March 27-28 and the championship game on April 7. Sweet 16 gameplay starts with No. 6-ranked BYU taking on No. 2 Alabama beginning at 7:09 p.m. ET/4:09 p.m. PT on CBS. Check out key dates and schedule location here.

Meanwhile, music fans will also love the star-studded line-up of artists performing at 2025 NCAA March Madness Music Festival — which includes Chris Stapleton, Benson Boone, Pitbull, Jelly Roll and Billboard Woman of the Year Doechii.

NCAA Men’s March Madness 2025: How to Watch Online Without Cable

Whether you’re watching basketball on your computer, phone or TV, streaming gives you the flexibility of watching games from anywhere.

Those who already have access to CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV, through cable, satellite, internet (or an HD antenna for local channels), can watch March Madness games live, but for those who haven’t settled on a TV streamer, we’ve put together a few different options that are actually worth the money.

College basketball fans can watch and stream March Madness 2025 games online through DirecTV Stream and other platforms that provide live television, such as Hulu+ Live TV.

Watch March Madness on DirecTV Stream

How much is DirecTV? You can join for $74.99 per month and gain instant access to over 90 channels. DirecTV Stream includes a free trial, along with cable channels and local channels, such as CBS, TNT, TBS and truTV to let you watch March Madness online without cable.

Watch March Madness on Max

To watch NCAA March Madness, Max starts at $9.99/month on Max.com. It’s also accessible via Prime Video. However, you’ll need a subscription to Prime Video (or an Amazon Prime membership) to add Max to your account (no free trial available).

Max has access to 2025 NCAA Division Men’s Basketball Championship games live, in addition to studio coverage airing on TBS, TNT and truTV. The tournament games will be available to stream on Max in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Watch March Madness on Paramount+

Though March Madness games and other CBS programs are available on Paramount+. You can also get instant access to CBS through the channel’s official streaming platform Paramount+. Along with CBS, you’ll also be able to stream content from Nickelodeon, MTV, Bet, Comedy Central, Showtime and the Smithsonian Channel. If you already have a subscription, just log into your account to livestream content.

Don’t have Paramount+? New users will receive a seven-day free trial when you sign up. Use it to watch March Madness on CBS for free online. Once the free trial is over, you’ll be charged based on the plan you choose at checkout.

Watch March Madness on Sling

Sling TV is another streaming option. Plans start as low as $23 for the first month to watch dozens of channels including TNT, TBS, truTV, ESPN and more. Additionally, you can catch all of the college basketball games that broadcast on CBS with the March Madness Live app. Just use your Sling TV login for access. It’s that easy.

Can you watch NCAA tournament games on ESPN+? You won’t find Men’s NCAA March Madness tournament on ESPN+, but there are plenty of college sports games available including basketball, football, soccer and more to stream.

To watch March Madness 2025 internationally, try ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

2025 March Madness Merch & Tickets: Where to Buy

And now, it’s time to talk merch and tickets. If you’re looking for March Madness merchandise you can find lots of gear at retailers, such as Fanatics, FansEdge, Nike, Amazon, Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and the NCAA Shop.

You can find March Madness tickets available at StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek and Gametime.

As the first person to ever win American Idol, Kelly Clarkson walked a lonely road for several years as other stars in the music industry had mixed feelings about her then-unorthodox route to success.

On the latest episode of Kylie Kelce’s Not Gonna Lie podcast posted Thursday (March 27), the “Stronger” singer revealed that some of her now peers initially judged her for getting her start on Idol — something that wouldn’t be so ironic if some of those same stars didn’t end up serving as coaches on offshoot competition series The Voice. “I had no one,” Clarkson began. “I was the first winner. It was hard.”

“People were really mean,” she continued without naming names. “People that were really mean have been coaches. You know what I’m saying? Like, hated talent shows, and they ended up being on The Voice.“

Clarkson won season one of American Idol in 2002, a victory that propelled her to a successful career in music marked by three Billboard Hot 100-topping hits and three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 so far. Ever since the flagship show premiered, numerous other competition series inspired by Idol have sprung up over the years — one of which, The Voice, saw Clarkson stepping into the coaching role for seasons 14-21 and 23.

But while televised talent shows are all the rage now, the three-time Grammy winner added that 20 years ago, “people were really cruel at first.”

“They didn’t like it,” she told Kelce. “It took the industry kind of by storm, the talent shows. It was a very unlikable thing in the industry concerning the populous. Now there’s so many.”

One advantage of starting out on Idol, however, was Clarkson’s ability to empathize with the contestants back when she was a coach on The Voice. The same applied to fellow coach Jennifer Hudson, who competed on Idol in 2004 before joining The Voice panel on seasons 13 and 15.

“People like us who have been there in that audition process, and just being so judged instantaneously, on maybe not your best performance but you know you can do better … it’s a grueling thing,” Clarkson said of herself and the Dream Girls star. “And it’s unforgiving in a lot of ways, and a lot of pressure for these artists that I don’t think a lot of artists that sell tons of records would be able to handle. It’s a different thing.”

Listen to Clarkson reflect on Idol critics on Not Gonna Lie below.

A lot has changed for Aqyila in the four years since she picked up her first Juno Award nod for contemporary R&B recording of the year. She earned that recognition for her debut single, “Vibe for Me (Bob for Me),” and she’s now competing in the same category at this year’s awards with “Bloom” — the song that took her from local talent to one of the most alluring, ascendant R&B stars of the 2020s so far. 

Bolstered by TikTok virality in 2024, “Bloom,” a gorgeous love song dedicated to the act and concept of love itself, quickly became Aqyila’s breakthrough single, giving her both a sonic catalyst to build the rest of her debut studio album and a commercial leg-up ahead of its release. Falling Into Place, which arrived Friday (March 28), is a thrilling amalgam of sultry jazz, heart-baring soul, sizzling Caribbean riddims, and a painstakingly particular approach to vocal stacks informed by musical giants like Brandy. The result is a formidable introduction – one that presents a self-assured star with near-limitless potential. 

“On this album, I’ve learned to take a step back and allow the vocals to shine. I want people to connect with the feeling, lyrics and sound overall,” she says. “This whole project is about growth and not being so in my head.” 

Instead of rushing out a project to capitalize on the success of “Bloom,” Aqyila bided her time and spent months fine-tuning the lush, soulful soundscape of Falling Into Place, which she crafted alongside key collaborators like Maya J’an B, Jonathan Elkær, Kasey Phillips and Thomas-Ray “Rex” Armstrong. Nonetheless, the Toronto-bred artist didn’t hide in the studio for that entire period. Just two months after “Bloom” dropped, she won the Juno Award for traditional R&B/Soul recording of the year with “Hello,” her biggest pre-“Bloom” hit. 

For the first quarter of 2025, Aqyila supported Pink Sweat$ on his North American tour ahead of this year’s Juno Awards (March 30), where she has two nods. In addition to her nod for “Bloom,” “Limbo” is gunning for traditional R&B/Soul recording of the year. 

With critical acclaim in tow and even bigger commercial wins potentially on the horizon, things really are falling into place for Aqyila. In a bubbly conversation with Billboard, Aqyila traces her musical roots, goes behind the scenes of her debut album, and bets on a Canadian R&B takeover.

What’s your earliest musical memory? 

My mom played a lot of Whitney Houston in the house when I was a kid, so I used to imitate her runs. That’s where I was like, “Oh, singing is kind of cool!” I vividly remember my crib days singing along to Alicia Keys too. When Fantasia was on American Idol, I remember staying up late and watching from her audition to when she won. Ruben Studdard too. I don’t know how I remember these things, but I do! [Laughs.] Those moments really inspired me. 

Do you hear or feel the energy of any of those singers on the new album? 

I didn’t listen to this artist as a kid, but I started listening to her more as I got older: Brandy. She does a lot of vocal layering and harmonies; I love Brandy’s elements that she puts into her projects. I love the textures on songs like that. To me, that’s really good music — because it feels natural to the person and adds extra, unique elements. 

What was the first song written for the new record? When did you start to realize that you had a full album coming together? 

The first song written was actually the first song released. “Bloom” was written in November [2023], and that became the start of the album. I was just vibing in that session with Maya [J’an B] and Jonathan [Elkær], and that was my first time working with them. It genuinely was magic in that room that day. Even today when I sing “Bloom,” I have the biggest smile on my face; I love singing about love and being a lover girl! 

Did you find that the success of “Bloom” made you want to go in a particular direction for the full album? 

Even before “Bloom,” “Hello” was when I realized how much I love doing vocal stacks. I only did it at the end of the song because had never tried that before, but I ended up loving it. That’s why I did the outro to “Bloom” like that because I want to carry the [stacks] as something that I do on every song. I do it on a lot of the outros on the album; it’s something I feel is my little signature piece. 

How do you think you’ve grown professionally and personally since your last EP? 

I think my writing has gotten even more introspective. I’ve also grown more and been able to do more with my voice; I’m able to sustain my notes more, belt more, and I’m learning different tips and tricks. 

Most of the songs [on this album] are [the demo takes]; I didn’t even bother trying to recut them because sometimes when you capture that natural essence in the studio and you try to match that energy later, it just didn’t sound the same. But I’m also a perfectionist. If I hear the note’s off, I’m like, “Hold on, I’m gonna punch that word in.” I get that nitty gritty in the studio. 

Snippet culture played a key role in “Bloom” blowing up. What does it feel like as an artist when fans are upset at the final version of a song sounding different from the snippet? 

Because of that experience with “Bloom” — where I teased the demo, and I knew I was gonna go add more stuff – I learned that I’m no longer going to tease a song unless it’s close to the final mix or if it’s a section of the song I know I’m content with. I understand from a consumer standpoint: when you’re listening to something, you want to hear what you heard. When you get the full song and [elements] you grew accustomed to [have] changed, that kinda sucks.  

But as an artist, I’m conflicted, because it’s art. It’s my art. If I’m gonna add something new, I have the ability to do so. 

“Sunshine” is so jazzy. What’s your relationship with jazz and would you ever explore the genre further? 

Again, in my crib days, my mom played a lot of jazz music for me. I used to fall asleep to jazz music. I guess [the jazziness of “Sunshine”] makes sense because another one of my favorite artists is Masego, and he does a really good job of mixing trap, soul and jazz. I really love “Sunshine” because of those elements as well. I would love to tap into that even more because I feel like I [have] a good tone to sing over some jazz music. 

How did “Most Wanted” come together? That was an unexpected kick of Caribbean energy near the end of the tracklist. 

It’s such a good vibe! And that’s owed to my background because my parents are from Jamaica. My dad played reggae and dancehall while I was growing up, and my mom played a lot of conscious reggae. It was very natural for me to lean fully into it. Kasey and Rex are also Caribbean, so the three of us made some real heat in that room. Before the song was even done, I told my team it needed a music video! 

Do you think a Canadian R&B wave could be hitting the States soon? 

Oh my gosh, yes! There are so many hidden gems; with the right push — or maybe that right amount of luck – and visibility, it’s game over. I’ll be scrolling on Instagram and hear someone singing, go to their profile, and they’re from Toronto! It’s incredible.