Days after wrapping up her Coachella performance by displaying “Nos vamos de tour” (“We’re going on tour”) on the festival’s screens, Karol G confirmed the dates for her Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour. In Spain, the presale began on April 27, and the star has already added a second concert in each previously announced city: Barcelona (June 3 and 4), Seville (June 11 and 12) and Madrid (June 24 and 25), all taking place in 2027.

With this expansion, Spain becomes one of the most important stops on the European leg of the tour.

Related

The new trek is in support of her latest album, Tropicoqueta, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart, and continues the momentum from Mañana Será Bonito, her 2024 tour that grossed $313.3 million and sold 2.3 million tickets across 65 shows — one of the highest figures ever recorded by a Latin artist — according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.

The Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour will kick off on July 24 in Chicago and visit stadiums in North America, Latin America and Europe, with confirmed stops in countries including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, England and Italy.

Tickets for the Spain shows will go on sale via Ticketmaster, with a second Live Nation presale on April 29 at 10 a.m. local time, and general sales starting on April 30.

Here are Karol G’s Spain tour dates announced for 2027:

  • June 3 and 4 — Barcelona @ Estadio Olímpico Lluís Companys
  • June 11 and 12 — Seville @ Estadio de La Cartuja
  • June 24 and 25 — Madrid @ Riyadh Air Metropolitano


Billboard VIP Pass

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

The equivalent of the K-pop Super Bowl is going down once again in Los Angeles.

KCON LA 2026 is bound to be just as epic as in past years, so here’s everything you need to know. The K-pop-centric festival/convention is set to take place from Aug. 14 to 16 at the Crypto.com Arena for the concerts and the Los Angeles Convention Center for all other activities. The event boasts an exciting lineup of acts that includes NCT 127, Kickflip, TXT, TREASURE, ZEROBASEONE, MEOVV, ILLIT, P1Harmony and izna. The convention not only celebrates Korean music, but South Korean beauty, food and culture as well.

It was announced on April 22 that five new performers will hit the stage across the three-day convention. Girl group H//PE Princess and debut members from PRODUCE 101 JAPAN SHINSEKAI were added to Friday’s lineup, seven-member boy band MODYSSEY will join Saturday’s lineup and EVAN, the K-pop solo artist formerly known as Heeseung and a previous member of ENHYPEN, and Korean and Japanese boy band NEXZ will be added to Sunday’s lineup.

Below is how you can purchase affordable tickets to the festival. It is important to note that all of these ticketing sites will/should include distinctions between festival grounds passes and passes to the actual M Countdown stage. These M Countdown seating options/passes are the ones you need to be looking into if you’d like to actually see your favorite artists perform. The festival grounds passes only allow you entry into the LA Convention Center, not the Crypto.com Arena. Keep reading to learn more.

Where to Buy Affordable KCON LA Tickets

Where to buy affordable KCON LA 2026 tickets online.

EDITOR’S PICK

StubHub


StubHub is a great option for our readers and a favorite of ShopBillboard’s for its easy-to-use interface and affordable pricing. With a brisk search of the site, we found tickets to KCON LA on prime days for as low as $87. You’ll also often see deals up to 50% off for single or group tickets, which is just another reason to love the site. For example, StubHub currently has two tickets for Friday, Aug. 14, priced at $83, 23% off the OG price of $109.

StubHub makes buying tickets easy and painless with its FanProtect Guarantee. This initiative protects fans’ purchases by ensuring valid tickets or your money back. Plus, if your event is canceled and not rescheduled, you will receive a credit worth 120% of the amount you paid for the event, or the option of a cash refund.

Where to buy affordable KCON LA 2026 tickets online.

EARN REWARDS

Vivid Seats


ShopBillboard also loves Vivid Seats when it comes to shopping for affordable tickets to concerts and festivals. The site has a slew of affordable options for all three days, with pricing as low as $55 for arguably the best days on the docket, some of the most affordable ticketing we’ve seen on our search thus far. The site often shares how many tickets are left and which days are the most in demand, allowing you to plan ahead of your purchase.

To drop that price of your ticket further, you can use our promo code BB30 to snag $30 off your purchase. The ticketing service offers a 100% Buyer Guarantee that vows your transaction will be secure, that your tickets will be delivered before your event, and that those tickets will be valid and authentic. 

Where to buy affordable KCON LA 2026 tickets online.

PROMO CODES

SeatGeek


SeatGeek is another ticketing site that we found has great pricing on tickets to KCON LA. We’ve seen pricing for tickets go for as low as $78. Right now, you can use promo code BILLBOARD10 at checkout to receive $10 off. The ticketing service features a Buyer Guarantee that ensures smooth ticket purchases every time. The site also offers you venue options based on your location, giving you the closest venue to you.

More savings on tickets? That could never be bad. You can grab KCON LA tickets through TicketNetwork with the code BILLBOARD300 to save $300 off orders of $1,000, and BILLBOARD150 to save $150 off orders of $500. We’ve found TicketNetwork to be quite pricy at times, especially for high-demand days at KCON LA. That being said, our promo code should help lower the cost.

If you don’t have the funds to buy your tickets just yet, you can also buy the tickets on the website now and pay later with help from Affirm. Plus, the website includes all-in pricing that lets you see exactly what you’ll be paying upfront (fees included).

Where to buy affordable KCON LA 2026 tickets online.

LOWEST PRICING

Gametime


We’ve also found that Gametime has great pricing for KCON LA for specific days. As of press time, tickets are going for as low as $56. The site will also notify you when certain venues/dates feature steep deals, allowing you to find the best pricing every time.

Given how in demand this festival is, seating can be sparse. Thankfully, Gametime has a ton of seating options available for all three days of the K-pop-centric event. Gametime guarantees the lowest prices, event cancellation protection, job-loss assurance and on-time ticket delivery for a smooth ticket-buying experience every time, no matter the occasion.

Where to buy affordable KCON LA 2026 tickets online.

OFFICIAL TICKETING


General sale for tickets via AXS began April 3. The site usually has a ton of tickets available, but competition is often fierce, and pricing can be a bit steep, especially for those looking for a deal. It is worth keeping your eyes peeled for deals or added ticketing. The ticketing service offers a Fan Guarantee that ensures that all tickets, including those on AXS Official Resale, are 100% authentic and valid for entry, keeping your purchase safe and secure.

See the KCON LA 2026 lineup below:

Somehow, it’s been four years since Noah Kahan’s career-shifting album Stick Season was released in 2022. It was the album that kept on giving: The deluxe edition, Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), arrived in 2023, and in 2024 Kahan dropped Stick Season (Forever) that spotlighted eight tracks with special features including Post Malone on “Dial Drunk,” Hozier on “Northern Attitude” and Gracie Abrams on “Everywhere, Everything.” That same year, he was up for best new artist at the 2024 Grammys, thanks in large part to the enduring success of the project overall.

And while 2025 was relatively quiet for Kahan, by the top of 2026, he was ready to return. At the end of January, he announced his fourth studio album, The Great Divide, and released its aching title track. “The Great Divide” became his highest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 6 (so far) and scoring Kahan his first chart-topper on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

Kahan co-produced the new album, also teaming back up with longtime collaborator Gabe Simon and welcoming in acclaimed songwriter/producer Aaron Dessner. The set was recorded across Dessner’s Long Pond studio in upstate New York as well Nashville’s Gold Pacific Studios and a secluded farm outside the city.

Related

In some ways, The Great Divide is a natural successor to Stick Season. Kahan’s knack for honest storytelling about exactly where he’s at in life is a well-developed strength that shines through here as he chronicles what it’s actually like to have an album change your life — for better and for worse. Across The Great Divide‘s 17 tracks, Kahan reflects on how success has impacted his relationships with himself, his family and friends, and even his home state of Vermont — and explores in gripping detail the discomfort of that disconnect. (These themes are even further explored in his Netflix documentary Noah Kahan: Out of Body, which examines his rise to fame and how he manages his mental health amidst so many changes).

While such an honest reflection is expected from Kahan, there’s a sonic grandeur to The Great Divide that sets it apart from any previous project. With its lush layers of instrumentation, full-bodied production and refined vocal tricks (like dipping into an emotive falsetto on second single “Porch Light”), the way in which this album spotlights musicianship — from Kahan and his collaborators — helps his storytelling hit even harder. As does the fact that the storytelling is multidimensional, with nearly every song taking on various perspectives, resulting in an album that is in conversation with itself — and leaving the listener with a multitude of entry points.

Still, true to form, Kahan was managing expectations ahead of the album’s release, taking to X in March to write: “What if the album just sucks so bad lol would be sad for me but lowkey funny considering the build up.”

But by April 22, just two days before its arrival, he veered from comedic self-deprecation to gratitude, sharing on the platform: “I’m in the exact same hotel room I was in when I played my show at MSG in 2024. Hard not to remember how insurmountable my loneliness and insecurity seemed to be in that moment of my life. I’m sitting here now smiling not because my album comes out tomorrow night or because I have ‘succeeded’ in any way since, but because I can live with being exactly who I am and I owe that all to you guys.”

Less than 24 hours after the album’s release, Kahan surprise dropped The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs, that included four additional tracks — some of which were previously teased or even performed live, and all of which only enriched The Great Divide‘s narrative arch.

Below, find our ranking of all 21 tracks on The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs.

The Voice season 24 alum Dylan Carter died in a car accident on Saturday (April 25) in Colleton County, S.C. The singer’s death was confirmed by his non-profit, The Local Voice, on Sunday via a statement on Facebook. Carter cofounded The Local Voice in 2024 to raise funds for women battling breast cancer.

Related

“With heavy hearts we share the passing of Dylan Carter, co-founder of The Local Voice, talented musician, and someone who meant so much to our community,” the non-profit wrote. “Dylan was the heart of what we do. He believed every voice matters and lived that every day.”

Moncks Corner Mayor Thomas Hamilton Jr. also released a statement on Facebook Sunday. “Our family is heartbroken to hear about the passing of Dylan Carter in a car accident. As a gifted singer, he frequently entertained our community with his performances at Town events,” Hamilton wrote. “His kindness and charm earned him immense respect, and his absence will be deeply felt.”

Carter was set to appear at Moncks Corner’s “Music on Main” event on Monday. The town announced via Facebook that the event has been canceled.

Carter auditioned for The Voice at 20 years old, wowing the judges with his rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Look to You” and securing chair turns from all four coaches. He explained that his song choice was a tribute to his late mother, who passed the year prior. Carter opted to join Reba McEntire’s team for his run on the show, but was eliminated in the Battle rounds. The country superstar shared a tribute to Carter on her Instagram Story Monday.

“We will miss Dylan so much,” McEntire wrote. “He was a brilliant, kind and talented young man who brought a huge ray of sunshine to The Voice. Rest in peace, my dear friend.”


Billboard VIP Pass

During summer 2024, “Someone Else,” a rollicking bouyon kiss-off anthem, became one of the buzziest songs to come out of the island nation of Dominica this decade, winning soca collaboration of the year at the 2025 Caribbean Music Awards. The infectious track also spelled the official launch of the career Trilla-G had been flirting with for most of his life.

Related

Born Gael Jno Baptiste in Goodwill, just outside Dominica’s capital of Roseau, Trilla-G’s musical origin story is centered around an event that helped shape an entire generation of listeners: Michael Jackson’s world-shifting death in 2009.

“One of my core memories was discovering Michael Jackson after his death because I didn’t know him before that,” Trilla-G, 27, tells Billboard. “I used to emulate his dance style and try to sing like him, using my living room as a stage. I remember being amazed by the whole package.”

Although he grew up preaching and singing in church, the joint forces of MJ’s towering artistry and the horizon-broadening nature of Saturday morning VH1 music video countdowns helped Trilla figure out his unique approach to music-making. After pulling inspiration from YouTube parodies, Trilla earned his first local hit with a remix of Soulja Boy’s “Pretty Boy Swag.” He would employ that strategy a few more times — like when he flipped Magic System’s timeless “Premiere Gaou” into 2017’s “Sweet Talk” — eventually making a name for himself across Dominica with “The Prayer” in 2020.

As the eldest of four on his mother’s side and the second youngest of eight on his father’s, Trilla-G is a family man— so much so that he bought into the “small island mindset that certain jobs are ‘good jobs’” not worth giving up in pursuit of more precarious aspirations. He tried to stay the corporate course, balancing his duties in a credit union marketing department with a surge of performance opportunities following the explosion of “Someone Else” in 2024. “My job was not as lenient as I thought it might have been,” he reflects. “So, before it got ugly, I bet on myself and quit.”

Within the next year, Trilla was performing around the world and pumping out hits like “Rags” and “I Like Your Woman (Side Man Confession).” But that all came to a harrowing pause when he was diagnosed with cancer last July. (As of February, Trilla is officially cancer-free, after completing several rounds of chemotherapy beginning in September 2025.)

Below, Trilla-G walks Billboard through how he crafted his debut album Take Me as I Am while battling cancer, his calypso background and how Jay-Z influenced his approach to songwriting.

When did you decide to pursue music professionally?

During form three in high school, I remixed a popular band song in Dominica, which happened to be a remake of “Gangnam Style.” That was the first time I went viral and got recognized for my talent. I would also freestyle and battle rap in college, and one friend recorded [a session] and posted it on Facebook. That too went viral, so, at that point, people around me were like, “Music is calling you.” I was a bit reluctant, but everyone was encouraging me, so I gave it a try,

My best friend was friends with a popular guy in Dominican spaces who had a family store in town. He was connected with radio [DJs], and I went to him with the first song I recorded, and he told me, “No, that’s not good. We’re not doing that. Try again.” I felt a bit defeated, but then I started freestyling to [TLC’s] “No Scrubs.” I changed “scrubs” to “pirat,” a word we use in Dominica to refer to promiscuous women. That went viral, too, and convinced him that I had something.

I was still in school at the time, so he paid for my studio time, and I got familiar with two other artists who were rising in the music space at that time: Reo and Keks Mafia. We performed together and even made a group for a short time.

Did “Someone Else” feel like a special record when you, Quan and Litleboy first recorded it?

We recorded a few songs that day, and this one was kind of random because Quan was recording for a separate Big Belly song, but he kept it for something else. Litleboy already had the hook, and I thought it was a fun song. I remember advocating for a music video early on, so that’s when I felt like it was going to be special. But I didn’t expect the impact it made for all of us and how popular it became.

When did you start working on your debut album, Take Me as I Am, which Billboard named the No. 4 Best Caribbean Album of 2025?

I needed to use the momentum from “Someone Else” to introduce myself to the wider market. I also got a lot of new bookings and couldn’t just show up singing one song. Dominica has a heavy Creole influence, so I had a Creole song on a zouk beat, saying, “I no changing/ The only thing that changing is money.” That eventually became “Take Me as I Am,” which led me to make the full album.

Last July, I was diagnosed with cancer, so I knew there was going to be some downtime towards the end of the year as I took treatment. We definitely need something to hold fans over during that time. “Take Me As I Am” became a staple track of mine, especially outside of Dominica, so I just continued that theme for the album.

What’s it been like navigating your rising career alongside cancer treatment?

It was a little difficult, but the people around me made it easy. My manager was very understanding, and he’s a friend to me outside of the business. To have somebody you work with understand what you’re going through was paramount. And my family was there with me; I stayed with my brother in New York during treatment

It was also stressful trying to figure out which gigs to take, because we were trying to keep [the diagnosis] a secret. Picture promoters calling you, and you cannot tell them exactly why you cannot make the show. Previously scheduled bookings were even more troublesome to work around. I remember doing the Uber Soca cruise straight from treatment and still being woozy and drained; I had to leave early and go right back to New York for a body scan. All of this showed me how close death was so I can better appreciate life.

How do you describe bouyon?

Bouyon music, simply put, is the modernization of our traditional songs and instruments from Dominica. Early on, the WCK Band experimented with blending our folk instruments with digital production, and everything has evolved from there. To me, bouyon is an expression of our daily life and our culture as Dominicans.

What’s your recording process usually like?

I used to write to beats before, but now I’ve evolved into freestyling. I know what my topic is, and I know what I want to say as soon as I hear the beat. I started practicing freestyling a lot more because the greats like Jay-Z and Lil Wayne tell you they don’t write. I want to be like the greats. Even the “WYFL” bouyon freestyle — no writing, no pen, no paper.

Who are your dream collaborators?

Skillibeng. My ultimate favorite artist of all time is Kanye West. I love how outside of the box he is and how he doesn’t follow what everybody else is doing. He’s one of my biggest influences, even in the way I put my album together and rolled it out. Drake too.

You released a country-inspired acoustic version of “Ain’t Thinkin’ Bout You” last month. Where did the inspiration for that come from?

We were in the studio playing around with a guitar loop, and I started singing “I had another shot of liquor that night,” because I know they like to talk about drinking alcohol and missing girlfriends in country music. I was just freestyling, but everyone got hyped and told me to finish it. So, I finished it the same night.

Some Caribbean islands have a deep love for country music. Where do you think that connection comes from?

I’m not sure. There was country music growing up in Dominica, but not a lot. I was surprised how big it still is in Saint Lucia. We came up on radio, and a lot of those country hits were introduced to us that way.

What do you love most about calypso music? What’s been your experience creating in two different genres at the same time?

I was the Calypso King in 2023, but I had been doing music since 2017 at that point. People knew me, but they weren’t really checking for me until calypso time, because that introduced me to a whole new set of people. Calypso is national — and I won.

I really learned how to perform properly on stage, manage my diction, polish my songwriting, and flex my wit and humor. I definitely became a better writer and performer thanks to calypso.

What are you listening to right now?

My unreleased music. [Laughs]. I have a collaboration with a well-loved female bouyon artist that will come out in time for summer. I’ve also been playing Alkaline’s [NPT] album a lot. And all the new boys [in the bouyon scene].


Billboard VIP Pass

The Michael Jackson film Michael grossed $217.3 million worldwide in its opening weekend, according to boxofficemojo.com.  That already places it at No. 3 on Billboard’s list of music biopics with the highest worldwide grosses, behind Bohemian Rhapsody ($910.8 million) and Elvis ($288.7 million).

Michael grossed $97 million over the weekend in the U.S. and Canada alone. That’s the highest opening-weekend domestic gross ever for a music biopic, eclipsing the mark set by Straight Outta Compton in 2015 ($60 million).

Related

Jackson has been making history for decades, both during his lifetime and since he died in 2009. He landed three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and two top five albums on the Billboard 200 (all with the Jackson 5) before he turned 12. By the time he turned 13, the J5 had notched another No. 1 Hot 100 hit (“I’ll Be There”) and another top five album.

Jackson won 13 Grammys, received two Primetime Emmy nods and has two inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He performed live on the Oscars when he was just 14 and, at 29, gave one of the most riveting performances in Grammy Awards history.

Jackson led a turbulent life, with lows as deep as these historic highs. The Michael biopic, which ends in 1988, when he was the biggest pop star on the planet, doesn’t take any of those lows or lingering controversies into account. The movie celebrates his commercial triumphs. So does this list.

Here are 20 previous times Jackson proved he’s the King of Pop.


Billboard VIP Pass

With a marathon time like this, no one will ever bring Cynthia Erivo down. The star ran the London Marathon on Sunday (April 26), and this time she set a new personal best. The Wicked star completed the race with a time of 3:21:40, beating her 2022 London Marathon time of  3:35:36 and New York City Marathon time of 3:57:07 by a sizable margin.

In a picture perfect moment, Erivo crossed the finish line to Wicked‘s “Defying Gravity.” (The track peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2024.)

Erivo partnered with sports gear brand Brooks Running for the marathon, wearing the brand for the race and appearing in one of its recent campaigns. After the race, Brooks Running congratulated the star on her new personal best via a joint Instagram post.

“A good run is simply the run that happened,” the brand wrote. “Today, it happened to be a new personal best.”

Erivo commented, thanking the Brooks Running team for “being there every step of the way.”

Since February, Erivo has been performing in a new one-woman stage adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on London’s West End, in which she plays all 23 roles. In a March interview with Runner’s World, Erivo shared that she made time for her marathon training in her busy schedule by prioritizing her running over everything else.

“Everything starts with the run,” Erivo explained. “The schedule doesn’t happen if the run’s not included.”

Just one day after running the London Marathon, Erivo will return to the Dracula stage on Monday (April 27). Dracula will run through May 30.

Watch Erivo cross the London Marathon’s finish line below:


Billboard VIP Pass

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drop Dead” begins its chart life at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It arrives as her fourth leader, with all having launched in the top spot.

The singer-songwriter first reigned with “Drivers License” for eight weeks in January-March 2021. She followed with “Good 4 U” for a week in May 2021 and “Vampire” for two weeks in July-September 2023.

Already the first artist to debut the lead singles from her first two studio albums at No. 1 on the Hot 100, Rodrigo extends her mark, with “Drop Dead” ushering in her third LP, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, due June 12. “Drivers License” revved anticipation for her first set, Sour (with “Good 4 U” also from the album), and “Vampire” introduced Guts.

Further helping build buzz for “Drop Dead,” Rodrigo released multiple versions of the song and videos for it and performed it live April 18 at Coachella.

Read on for deeper details of this week’s Hot 100 top 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations. All charts dated May 2, 2026, will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, April 28. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Plus, for all chart rules and explanations, click here.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.


Billboard VIP Pass

Chris Brown has seen some of the criticism of his upcoming joint summer stadium tour with his friend Usher and he’s responded with pointed words for those haters. In a post on his Instagram Story on Sunday (April 26), Brown 36, minced no words in pushing back against what he painted as the online backlash to the outing.

The funniest and weirdest s–t ever to me is the fact that people have the option to come to my tour and the option not to,” Brown wrote. “I know everyone who is a fan of me and USHER will definitely be in the building and it will be PACKED just like last year,” he added in seeming reference to his 2025 Breezy Bowl XX world tour, Brown’s highest-grossing tour to date with nearly $300 million in ticket sales.

Brown continued, “But I’m scrolling through insta and tik tok and I come across rage bait pages and or these fake woke stand up for nothing pages bashing people for wanted to come have a good time. The dudes hating, I can understand that (thinking we gone steal ya girl and s–t). BUT THE KARENS, and the self hating hoes be making me LAUGH. I CANT WAIT TO RUB THIS S–T IN YALL FACE.” The post ended with three laughing crying emoji.

While Brown did not cite any specific complaints or comments, he appeared to be alluding to those who’ve pushed back on the news about the singer who has a long rap sheet of assault cases in his history, including a guilty plea for felony assault tied to his attack on then-girlfriend Rihanna in August 2009 on the eve of that year’s Grammy Awards; he was sentenced to five years’ probation and six months of community service in that case.

In the comments about the first tease of the tour on Brown’s official TikTok, some of the comments appeared to allude to Brown’s history, including one that read “people, did ya’ll forgot?” and a similar one reading “don’t think we forgot,” as well as quite a few complaining about the price of tickets for the joint outing.

Since the Rihanna assault, Brown has had several more run-ins with the police over violent incidents, including an arrest in May 2025 in the U.K. on a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm tied to a 2023 London nightclub assault in which the singer is accused of smashing a promoter over the head with a bottle and kicking him.

In addition, a 2024 lawsuit filed in Texas charged that Brown and several accomplices “brutally and severely beat” four men backstage at Dickies Arena in an unprovoked backstage attack. Police also responded in June 2021 to a report of a domestic argument at Brown’s San Fernando Valley home address in which a woman said Brown smacked the back of her head so hard her weave came off; police declined to file charges due to insufficient evidence in that case.

Brown is teasing a new album, Brown, due out on May 8 and Usher has recently hopped on the remix of Breezy and Bryson Tiller’s “It Depends.” The R&B tour (named for the singer’s last names, Raymond and Brown) is slated to kick off on June 26 at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver.


Billboard VIP Pass

Taylor Swift has applied for new trademarks on the sound of her voice — a legal tactic that appears aimed at protecting her likeness from AI deepfakes.

In a pair of filings on Friday (April 24), the superstar asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to issue her federal trademark registrations of her voice saying “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift.” The filings, obtained by Billboard, came with audio clips of the phrases she wants to protect.

Related

Trademarks on sounds are unusual; such IP is far more often applied to names and logos. But they do exist — the NBC chimes are a famous example — and stars like Mathew McConaughey have recently applied for them out of growing fears about AI deepfakes and voice cloning.

Swift also applied for a third trademark, covering an image of herself performing on stage. All three proposed registrations, if granted, would cover use of the trademarks on a wide range of “entertainment services.” The filings were first reported by Josh Gerben, an attorney unaffiliated with the matter.

Taken together, Swift’s applications appear aimed at protecting her name and likeness against misappropriation — something the superstar has repeatedly experienced, including once from President Donald Trump. The growth of AI technology has made it far easier to mimic voices and create fake videos, flooding the internet with such misleading content and leaving stars with little recourse.

Legally speaking, an individual’s identity has historically been protected by publicity rights, a term for state law rights that allow you to sue if your name or likeness is commercially exploited without consent. Federal trademark law does cover famous names — Taylor has many such marks, and has enforced them recently — but is less directly designed to shield a person’s likeness.

Last year, McConaughey took a novel approach and sought to “trademark himself,” as reported by the Wall Street Journal. He sought protection over several video clips of himself, as well as audio of him saying his famous “Alright, alright, alright” from the film Dazed and Confused. But it remains to be seen whether such an approach, which Taylor’s applications seem to mirror, would hold up in court.

Trademarks typically cover specific words, logos and other indicia that are linked in the minds of consumers to specific goods and services; they were not designed to give blanket protection to a person’s overall appearance or identity. For instance, it’s unclear if Swift would be able to prove that someone infringed her proposed sound trademarks if they said something in a similar-sounding voice but with different words than “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift.”

That Swift is turning to such unproven methods is a sign of the lack of true legal protections as the problem of AI deepfakes and voice cloning grows. Publicity rights come with key limitations and are different in each state. Lawmakers in Congress have proposed a federal NO FAKES Act to deal with the problem nationally, but have made little progress passing it.

If granted, the new trademarks would be added to a huge collection for Swift, who owns federal protections on her name, song and album titles, famous lyrics and dozens of other trademarks. And she’s not afraid to enforce them: Earlier this year, Swift filed a legal action aimed at blocking a bedding company called Cathay Home from getting a trademark on a logo featuring the name “Swift Home.”


Billboard VIP Pass