Britney Spears went way back in the photo archives to wish her sister, Jamie Lynn, a belated happy birthday.

The pop star opted to share a fun snapshot on Instagram Friday night (April 9) from several years ago that happened to feature the both of them and Justin Timberlake.

In the picture, all eyes are on a young Jamie Lynn, who appears to be entertaining a small crowd of people including big sister Britney with her former boyfriend Timberlake.

“Happy belated birthday to this beautiful soul!!!” Spears wrote in the photo caption to her little sister, who celebrated her birthday on April 4. “I love you so much and damn it I wish I was as smart as you at 30 !!!! It’s weird to say that I was basically your momma when you were younger and yes I’m still older but your soul is and always has been wise !!!!”

She continued: “I’m truly and genuinely inspired by your path and the life you have created for your beautiful children and I’m so f—ing proud to call someone as beautiful inside as you my sister !!!!”

“And not only are you a beautiful soul you’re so DAMN STRONG … I was extremely taken back and still am to this very day !!!” she said, recalling a moment the sisters shared. “We play wrestled at home (such classy Southern chicks) and you put me to the floor in literally two seconds after I gave all my might … I’ll never forget it !!! Maybe we should have a rematch … I mean things have changed since 6 years ago !!!!! PS I wish I was as strong as you and happy birthday !!!!”

Jamie Lynn responded with a collection of cute emojis, while most of the other comments left on the post focused on Timberlake’s unexpected appearance on Spears’ Instagram feed.

In February, Timberlake reached out to Spears via a public apology on social media after the documentary Framing Britney Spears reported how he had portrayed her following their much-publicized split in 2002, when he made jokes about their sex life in interviews and cast a Britney look-alike in his damning “Cry Me a River” music video.

“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” he wrote in a note on Feb. 12. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism. I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”

See the birthday post on Spears’ Instagram account here.

From “Our Song” to “Willow,” one Taylor Swift fan has recreated every one of the star’s iconic eras for a clip that’s racking up views on TikTok.

The video, which has been viewed 3.4 million times and has received almost 1 million likes on TikTok as of Saturday (April 10), was first posted on Friday (April 9), the day Swift released her re-recorded Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

TikTok user @juliiieanne, whose channel features a collection of Swift look-alike videos, seamlessly transitions through moments from each of Swift’s original studio albums in her latest short video, all in less than a minute — and completely in costume, creatively replicating Swift’s hairstyles, makeup looks and outfits.

“What’s your era?” she captioned the clip, which runs through Swift’s self-titled debut album all the way to Evermore.

“How do you look so much like her and also nothing like her at the same time??” one person pondered, while another was not quite convinced she wasn’t actually the real deal: “are u telling me this isn’t taylor swift.”

“you look more and more like her as the video goes on,” another fan pointed out.

“Queen just casually had a marching band costume I love it,” another TikTok creator said of her Fearless-era ensemble.

Watch it below and on Julie’s TikTok. Check out all her other Swift videos here.

@juliiieanne

What’s your era? ##taylorswift

♬ The old Taylor CAN come to the phone right now – Julie (Taylor’s Version)

BTS’ Bang Bang Con is returning in 2021.

The K-pop band took to social media on Saturday (April 10) to announce Bang Bang Con 21. The virtual event is scheduled to take place on April 17 at 3 p.m. KST on the septet’s official YouTube channel BANGTANTV.

“BTS concert in your room #BANGBANGCON21 coming soon!” the group wrote on Instagram.

Billboard has reached out to BTS’ representatives for further details.

Last April’s inaugural Bang Bang Con was a free two-day online concert series featuring live performance footage dating back to 2015. The event arrived after the act’s 2020 Map of the Soul tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

That summer, BTS followed up with Bang Bang Con: The Live, a 90-minute pay-per-view concert. The virtual performance was held June 14, a day after the band’s seventh anniversary.

BTS recently dropped the new song “Film Out,” a collaboration with J-pop band Back Number that appears as the ending theme in the new Japanese film Signal: Long-Term Unsolved Case Investigation Team. The track will be included on the the septet’s next Japanese-language album, BTS, The Best, which is scheduled for release on June 16.

 

Below, see BTS’ Bang Bang Con 21 announcement on Twitter.

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Spotify may have quickly ratified contracts with its employees’ labor unions because, emerging from the pandemic in coming months, the music-streaming giant has “opportunities to make money quickly right now,” says Kate Bronfenbrenner, Cornell University’s director of labor research. “It would not be a good time to be stalled by delays or fights within the industry.”

The two unions, representing a total of 115 employees at Spotify-owned Gimlet Media and The Ringer, ratified the contracts Wednesday. In addition to establishing minimum annual base salaries ($57,000 at The Ringer, which covers sports and pop culture via websites and podcasts, and $73,000 at Gimlet, which produces podcasts), the contracts provide funding for diversity committees and representation for LGBTQ workers and other under-represented groups.

“This is not just a significant victory, it’s also an innovative victory,” Bronfenbrenner says. “There’s language that prioritizes those that needed it the most. They’re fighting for the lowest-paid workers, workers of color and LGBTQ workers.”

In recent years, unions have struggled to gain traction at Big Tech companies: Amazon warehouse workers lost an election Friday (April 9) to join the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; Google workers formed the Alphabet Union in January, but it has only 700 members in a company of 130,000 employees. And although music workers aren’t specifically impacted by the Spotify ratifications, the streaming service’s action is the latest in recent small but positive signs for labor movements after indie record label Secretly Group quickly recognized its new employees’ union on March 25.

Broader unionization at large tech companies is unlikely to expand beyond Spotify, says Gordon Lafer, a University of Oregon professor who specializes in labor studies: “It’s partly because there is vicious pushback by the companies. And it’s partly because it’s a competitive industry and people are scared of not only being fired but not getting jobs in Silicon Valley or Seattle.” Spotify was an unusual case, perhaps because it’s based in Sweden, which is relatively union-friendly, but also because The Ringer and Gimlet employees work in podcasting and had large platforms to rally public support. “If you’re going to threaten the job of a warehouse worker, nobody will know,” he says.

Employees at Gimlet and The Ringer didn’t win on every point — management insisted on retaining writers’ work on websites, podcasts and other outlets. But that suggests the companies and unions were open to compromise, says Robert Bruno, professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, possibly because the podcast, tech and music industries attract like-minded managers and employees focused on “creation and entrepreneurialism and creativity.”

“Unless you’re going to be overly adversarial, you’re going to end up with a contract. Why drag it out?” he asks. “It makes sense to get to it.”

Bronfenbrenner adds that the recent victories at Secretly and Spotify, along with President Biden’s general pro-union stance, are helpful for the wider labor movement. “We’re seeing a ripple effect across the country,” she says. “Workers see that unions are possible. They’re going to be inspired by the fact that workers at Spotify, who are like them, are able to organize.”

First Stream Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

Manuel Medrano, “Hay Una Luz Dentro De Ti” (Warner Music Mexico)

After testing the waters with a pop-funk-meets-urban sound, which he simply nailed, Manuel Medrano returns to his roots on “Hay Una Luz Dentro De Ti.” In a true and authentic Medrano fashion, the Colombian crooner laces a soulful alternative beat with heartfelt lyrics that will simply make anyone fall in love. “There are so many things within you that I can’t resist” and “your heart and mine join forces and it feeds my entire body,” are some of the lyrics that Medrano’s deep vocals chant, flaunting his ease with poetry. The music video is just as symbolic, showing a couple’s love story through lyrical dance as Medrano performs the song in an abandoned train station and inside a vintage theater. – JESSICA ROIZ

Mon Laferte, Seis (Universal Music México)

Mon Laferte wrote her sixth album, aptly titled Seis, while hunkered down in the pueblo mágico Tepoztlán, nearly two hours south of Mexico City. The Chilean singer-songwriter started writing it a month after the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed. “I was like everyone else, just filled with uncertainty,” she told Billboard. “So I clung onto my music and my guitar because I thought, if the world ends, I at least want people to know how I was feeling.” It’s the first album in which she sings regional Mexican (banda, corridos tumbados, mariachi) music in homage to the country she’s live in for the past 14 years. In it, she doesn’t hold back while singing about toxic relationships, past and future loves, and the love she has for her mother and other women. “The entire writing process was very solitary, bleak and melancholic … it was nights of just me and my guitar, drinking mezcal, with the crickets in the background,” she adds. – GRISELDA FLORES

Jay Wheeler, “Viendo Al Techo” (Linked Music/Empire)

Jay Wheeler continues to prove why he’s considered “La Voz Romantica” (the romantic voice) with the release of his new single “Viendo al Techo.” The Puerto Rican newcomer, and one of Billboard’s Latin Artists to Watch in 2021, drops a romantic urban bop that perfectly sums up one’s feelings after a breakup: emptiness, confusion, shame. “I’m not good at pretending that I forgot you/ Baby, I miss you, the nights are long without you,” Wheeler, who penned the lyrics, sings. The music video captures a heartbroken man in his bedroom remembering his best memories with his ex-girlfriend. — J.R.

La Doña, “Setas y Ceros” (Human Re Sources)

Bay Area artist La Doña, whom we’ve been following throughout the pandemic in our In a Pandemic series, released her new bachata-inspired song “Setas y Ceros.” The track kicks off with a chill bachata vibe but it quickly picks up speed transitioning to a reggaeton tune led by La Doña’s slick accordion skills. While at first listen it may sound like a party track (which it could be), true to La Doña’s style, “Setas y Ceros” has a deeper meaning exploring how we function under capitalism. “I work hard and I save but it’ll never be enough,” La Doña tells Billboard. “Although I’ve completed my main goal in life, which was to buy a house, I’m still working multiple jobs and 60+ hour weeks, juggling so much. When does that ever end?” – G.F.

Myke Towers & Ñengo Flow, “Burberry” (Warner Music Latina/Warner Records/One World International)

Myke Towers teamed up with old-school reggaeton star Ñengo Flow for the release of “Burberry,” a raw drill with trap-influenced beats that not only sends a message to haters but also flaunts all the hustle paying off. Just moments after dropping the video for “Burberry,” Myke Towers and Ñengo Flow landed on the YouTube trends page with the music video, where the two artists are pampered by luxurious goods, including the designer brand. “Burberry” marks the second single off of Towers’ upcoming studio album Lyke Myke. –– J.R. 

Danny Felix & Mariachi Vargas De Tecatitlán, “Mariachi Tumbado” (Fonovisa)

In his new single, which follows his debut album Vuelve, the up-and-coming artist gives traditional mariachi music a contemporary twist. Teaming up with Mariachi Vargas De Tecatitlán, Danny Felix fuses mariachi with tumbado giving the song some edge. The track, penned by the Mexican-American artist, began with a guitar and romantic lyrics, eventually evolving into a mariachi tumbado song once Mariachi Vargas jumped on the project. Most recently, Felix – who produced a handful of Natanael Cano’s hits – co-wrote Karol G’s “200 Copas” with Karol and Ovy On the Drums – G.F.

Juanes, “El Amor Después del Amor” (Universal Music Latino)

The first preview of Juanes’ forthcoming 10th studio album titled Origen – a collection of reimagined songs that have inspired his career – the Colombian star released a captivating cover of Fito Paez’s 1992 love anthem “El Amor Después del Amor.” True to Juanes’ essence, this new version is a bit more rock deftly fused with gospel influences and blues powered by Juanes’ smooth guitar skills. “‘El Amor Después del Amor’ is one of my favorite rock songs of all time,” Juanes said in a statement. “Since the day it came out, what it spoke to, and still does, resonates with me and a whole generation. I have the utmost admiration for Fito- I admire his greatness as a composer and his lasting influence on Latin Rock.” The singer-songwriter will perform his version of “El Amor Después del Amor,” co-produced by Juanes and Sebastian Krys, live at the Latin AMAs on April 15. – G.F.

Luis Figueroa, “Hasta El Sol De Hoy” (Salsa Version) (Sony Music Latin/Magnus Media)

Luis Figueroa, this week’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise, flexes on his artistic versatility with his new single “Hasta El Sol de Hoy.” With his dulcet vocals, the Puerto Rican artist pays an homage to the timeless 1993 salsa song by Edgar Joel y Su Orquesta, whose vocalist at the time was Anthony Colón, Luis’ uncle. “He plays an important role in my career because he would always accompany me to the studio at the beginning of my career,” he told Billboard. The single marks the first single from Figueroa’s debut studio set, slated for May, called Canciones del Alma, an album that will include his versions of songs that have “inspired and molded me into the artist I am today.” — J.R.

Jay Maly, Ñengo Flow & Darell, “Juguete” (Rompe Records Music)

After joining forces with Arcangel on “Rosas y Pistolas,” Jay Maly reels in Ñengo Flow and Darell  on his new single “Juguetes.” Produced by Lanalizar and Cromo La X, the sultry reggaeton track “talks about the game of seduction and how some girls don’t like to fall into serious commitments,” the Cuban newcomer explained in a statement. “Sometimes men fall into their temptation but they just want momentary fun.” The official music video was directed by José Javy Ferrer in Miami and shows all three artists. – J.R.