Omar Courtz’s journey is a resonant tale of a superfan turned rising star, whose deep admiration for the icons of Latin music inspired his career — from back when he was just a fervent listener right up to performing on the legendary Coliseo de Puerto Rico (a.k.a. El Choli) alongside those very idols. His debut album, Primera Musa, which dropped on September 20 via Mr. 305 Records and Rimas Entertainment, is both a nod to his inspirations and a showcase of his exploratory urbano sounds.

The Puerto Rican artist arrives at the New York Billboard office a few days after releasing his LP, sporting Tims, a beige baseball hat with pink accents, and a gigantic diamond-encrusted chain featuring a huge open heart that revealed bone ribs. It had engraved the names of his grandmothers on each side, and a Bible verse in the back: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.” He was thrilled to discuss the essence of Primera Musa, a title that symbolizes the multitude of influences that have propelled his artistic journey.

“Primera Musa can be many things,” he explains. “I leave it to the people to interpret it as they wish. It can be something you’ve lived, an experience, or it could be a woman.”

The album is a personal odyssey that weaves his past, his family’s influence, and an homage to the pivotal women in his life. Its extraordinary diversity spans trap, reggaetón, R&B, Jersey club and house — each track showcasing Omar’s skill in melding diverse styles to forge a colorful listen. From the potent “Intro” with Kendo Kaponi to the introspective finale, “Luces de Colores,” his debut is a masterclass in both musical versatility and deep connection to his fans and foundation.

The rapper/singer detailed the special allure found in debut albums, which often capture the pure essence of an artist’s sound. “What happens is that for me there is a magic in artists’ first albums,” he expresses, citing Myke Towers’ El Final del Principio (2016) and Bad Bunny’s X100Pre (2018) as examples. “There’s something special that fans always say: ‘I want to hear that artist, their first delivery, their first muse.’”

Raised in Carolina, a famously tough neighborhood of Puerto Rico that also produced figures like Almighty, Anuel AA, and Rauw Alejandro, Omar reflected on the extraordinary local talent. They emerged “in my very street, literally,” he says. “There really must be something there, something duro, a kind of magic, because superstars come out of it.”

The spirit of Omar’s music is intrinsically linked to his experiences as a fan who lived through the anticipation and thrill of music releases. He highlights the pivotal role of SoundCloud in his early career, a platform that immensely facilitated the rise of new artists, particularly in the then-emerging Latin trap genre. “SoundCloud gave us the opportunity for ease, for speed, for you to create a song today and send it out to the world,” he recounts, also reminiscing about the early days when artists like Alvarito Díaz and Myke Towers would release new music every Thursday, cultivating a fervent community of listeners eager for fresh sounds.

“One of my biggest inspirations is Myke Towers,” Omar admits with a look of reverence. “His musical consistency, his delivery, his concepts are inspiring. I think he’s a lyrical genius. He just takes a notebook and starts throwing verses as if it were a string of them.”

Omar’s journey is saturated with humble beginnings and diverse experiences: “I’ve done everything from selling clothes in my uncle’s shop to washing cars, mowing lawns, and operating a pressure washer.” Amidst these hard-knock jobs, he found his true calling, starting to publish his own tracks on streaming platforms in the mid-2010s — and during the 2020 pandemic, he began to release a string of material, putting himself on the map with his Latin trap and reggaetón tracks armed with his distinctive flow.

By 2019, a significant professional relationship was forged when he met his current manager, Orlando Dávila of OD Entertainment. They bonded over a shared taste in music and artistic vision. “Omar Courtz was an artist who caught my attention from our first conversation without even knowing him […] I could see his intentions and the vision he had for his musical career right from the start, partly because we share similar musical tastes, including a fondness for R&B,” Dávila tells Billboard Español. “Omar is deeply committed to his craft, very demanding of himself, and a perfectionist.”

Omar Courtz’s hard work and artistic integrity paid off when he landed a feature on Tainy’s 2023 hit “Pasiempre,” a track that saw him holding his own among Latin trap titans Myke Towers, Arcánge, Jhayco and Bad Bunny, also starring Venezuelan producer Arca. This song not only put him on the charts, but also symbolized his arrival in the music industry’s spotlight, peaking at No. 28 on the Hot Latin Songs chart and marking his entry on the Billboard Global 200. His collaboration with Daddy Yankee, “Beachy,” also affirmed his status, doing exceptionally well on the Latin Airplay (No. 27) and Latin Rhythm Airplay charts (No. 7).

What is particularly striking about Omar’s path is how he melds his deep-seated fan experiences into his music’s DNA, striving to incite the same fervor among his listeners. He operates with a fan’s heart, tailoring his creations to meet their expectations. “I put myself in a fan’s position,” he explains, “and I ask myself, ‘If I were a fan of my music, what artist would I want to hear these songs with?’ This is how I thought when I enjoyed other artists’ albums, wishing for certain collaborations.” This creative empathy informs his choices in the studio and guides his collaborative strategies.

This synergy between artist and fan is key in his collaborations, such as with Jhayco and Arcángel during Tainy’s concert, where Omar — once a fan in the crowd — stood alongside his musical heroes. Recalling the release of Bad Bunny’s first album, he remembers how everyone gathered, eager for the first play: “We were all in the court at midnight, waiting for a sound system to come out so the whole world could listen. This communal excitement is what he seeks to replicate with his own releases, evident when he saw Primera Musa being celebrated on social media in the same way.

“I couldn’t be more proud of Omar Courtz and his incredible achievements. His debut album topping multiple global charts is a testament to his raw talent, hard work, and the unique sound he’s introducing to the industry,” Robert Fernandez, CEO of Mr. 305 Records, tells Billboard Español. “Omar’s music is resonating with fans worldwide, and this is just the beginning of his journey to greatness.”

Name: Joshua Omar Medina Cortes

Age: 26

Recommended Song: “I wanted to bring a song that refreshes every 30 seconds rhythmically. Since there is so much music [out there], people listen to the intro, chorus and verse and that’s it — they listen to very little of the theme. I wanted to renew the rhythm often bring another new color. I got together with Karbeats, my producer, and we made “Goddess.”

Biggest Accomplishment: “I’m excited that I’m reaching other countries. Puerto Rico was already very important to me because it’s my island, but to see the support from other countries, that excites me as I was excited when they supported me in Puerto Rico as well.”

What’s Next: Omar Courtz will be a panelist at Billboard Latin Music Week alongside Saiko and KBaez, presented by Cheetos.

On Thursday (Sept. 26), just two days before the third annual Soundside Music Festival, headliner Foo Fighters dropped off the lineup.

“Foo Fighters will no longer be appearing at this weekend’s Soundside Music Festival,” read a statement on the band’s official Instagram account.

The cancellation comes just two weeks after frontman Dave Grohl revealed on his personal Instagram account that he had fathered a child outside of his marriage. “I’ve recently become the father of a new baby daughter, born outside of my marriage,” Grohl wrote. “I plan to be a loving and supportive parent to her. I love my wife and my children, and I am doing everything I can to regain their trust and earn their forgiveness.”

Soundside Music Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 28-29) in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Noah Kahan is set to headline the first night. The Foos have now been replaced by Jack White and Greta Van Fleet sharing top billing on the updated festival flier.

Foo Fighters released their 11th studio album last year, But Here We Are. It was the band’s first release since the loss of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins.

In August, White released his sixth album, No Name, and made headlines for the surprising release strategy. The project was initially secretly released in July as a free, unlabeled vinyl to Third Man Records customers across its Detroit, Nashville and London locations. It was then widely released in early August as a blue-colored vinyl LP (exclusive to independent record stores) before becoming available as a digital download album one day later.

Last year, Greta Van Fleet released their third album, Starcatcher.

Other artists on the Soundside lineup include Goo Goo Dolls, Grace Potter, Bleachers, Teddy Swims and more.

Limited tickets are available here.

Nelly Furtado is reflecting back on some of the more toxic aspects of the entertainment industry.

The star sat down with People recently, where she recalled “a lot of airbrushing,” during the early 2000s, when she released hits like “I’m Like a Bird.” “I have olive skin, and they’d kind of lighten my skin a lot in photos,” Furtado, who is of Portuguese decent, explained, “and kind of take my hips down all the time — they would always kind of cut off in editorials.”

She noted that by the time she released her sophomore album, 2003’s Folklore, she was “kind of angry about” the way beauty was portrayed. However, she always had a good group of people around her for support. “I felt so lucky and blessed. I always had such a good team around me, that was family,” she said. “My team around me felt so solid and really looking out for my best interests. And I think I was just raised right. My mom was really strong, and so is her mom, and her mom, and her mom — a very matriarchal family, in general, on both sides, all my grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. So I was given a really solid kind of sense of assertiveness, I’m going to call it. So that was a good tool for me to navigate the music industry. And I was given really solid advice from a young age, luckily, from very paternal sort of people around me. So I was lucky, I was one of the lucky ones.”

Furtado is fresh off the release of her seventh album, fittingly titled 7.  “The key for me, with this new album, is just getting back into the craft,” she said of the project, which she worked on with her daughter Nevis. “It’s like a whole new me, who’s stronger, braver, more confident.”

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UFC goes to the City of Light! Two lightweight fighters are set to go head-to-head in the octagon as the main event for UFC Fight Night: Paris. Brazilian fighter Renato “Mohawk” Moicano (19-5-1) faces off against French fighter Benoît “God of War” Saint Denis (13-2-0) on Saturday, Sept. 28.

UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis takes place at Accor Arena in Paris, France with a start time of 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. The main card is expected to begin at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.

Want to watch UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis online? The MMA event is livestreaming on ESPN+ for subscribers only.

If you’re not a subscriber, a monthly subscription to ESPN+ goes for $10.99 per month. However, you can go with an ESPN+ annual subscription for $109.99, which saves you 15% compared to the month-to-month subscription price.

Check out the complete UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis fight card below:

Main Card, 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT

Prelims Card, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT

In addition, you can get the Disney Trio — which comes with ESPN+, Hulu and Disney+ — starting at just $14.99 per month for both services in one package.

UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis is streaming on ESPN+ on Saturday, Sept. 28, starting at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. The main card begins around at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT on ESPN+.

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