Chris Brown’s headed to South African for a pair of concerts in December, but a women’s rights advocacy group has launched a petition seeking to ban him from taking the stage due to his history of alleged abuse.

Women for Change started a petition Oct. 2 on Change.org that boasts more than 28,000 signatures as of press time, hoping to stop Brown — who pleaded guilty in 2009 to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna, and was sentenced to probation and community labor — from performing in South Africa, which the BBC reports has a long history of abuse and one of the “highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.” According to the petition, the group wants the promoters, the South African government and organizers to “reconsider” allowing the artist to perform at Johannesburg’s FNB Stadium in mid December.

“His concert is scheduled just days after the global commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, making this event a direct insult to the millions of women and girls affected by violence in South Africa and worldwide,” reads the petition.

“When I saw the news that Chris Brown was coming to South Africa, I was shocked and deeply disappointed,” Women for Change executive director Sabina Walter told the BBC. “The petition was started to send a strong message that we will not tolerate the celebration of individuals with a history of violence against women.”

She continued: “When someone like Chris Brown is given a platform in a country where GBV is at crisis levels, it sends a damaging message — that fame and power outweigh accountability.”

Billboard has reached out to Brown for comment.

The fan demand for Brown’s initial concert at FNB Stadium was so overwhelming — tickets sold out in under two hours — that a second show was added at the 94,000-capacity stadium.

Brown has faced issues for performing in the past due to his legal history in countries such as New Zealand, Canada, Australia and more. The pair of South Africa shows are currently set for Dec. 14 and Dec. 15.

A documentary surrounding Chris Brown’s alleged history of abuse is coming to the Investigation Discovery network later this month. Chris Brown: A History of Violence will land on ID on Oct. 27 as part of the network’s “No Excuse for Abuse” campaign, which will further explore his legal issues. The doc features an unidentified victim who is coming forward to tell her story of alleged abuse from Brown for the first time.

Billboard Latin Music Week kicked off Monday (Oct. 14) at the Fillmore Miami Beach with back-to-back business panels, one of which was “The Power of Viña” presented by Viña del Mar. 

Moderated by Alfredo Alonso, director of entertainment, Bizzarro Live/producer of the Viña Del Mar Festival, the 15-minute panel revealed how the Chilean event became a must-stop for all major Latin acts, and how you can score an invitation to perform. 

Below, learn more about the festival that is celebrating more than 64 years and has served as an important platform in the earlier years of some of the biggest Latin and international acts, such as Julio Iglesias, Luis Miguel, Shakira and The Police, to name a few.

What Is Viña del Mar?

“In the ’60s, it started as a competition to pick the most important song at the time. As the years went by, it became a big platform for artist exposure, and the competition became more and more relevant,” Alonso said. The format is a six-day live event that lasts five hours each night and includes music, competition and humor. “The stress and excitement that comes with this festival is huge,” he noted.

How to Be a Part of the Festival

It’s important that you achieve a connection with an audience by having them know your name, know your music, and know your image. Any artist or composer can be part of the festival if they have an unreleased song, and they can submit their song in the folk section and represent their country. For example, Shakira participated in 1994 and represented Colombia. You can also be invited as an emerging artist (either as an opening or closing act), or you can form part of the jury. 

The Monster

“El Monstruo” is the name given to the passionate Viña del Mar audience — one of the most demanding and ruthless audiences in entertainment that’s critical and not easily impressed. From comedians to artists, everyone faces the challenge of conquering the monster and few have been able to leave their mark on Vina.

Over the past 35 years, Latin Music Week has become the foundation of Latin music in this country, becoming the single most important — and biggest — gathering of Latin artists and industry executives in the world. Initially named Latin Music Seminar, sponsored by Billboard, the event traces back to 1990, where it kicked off as a one-day event in Miami featuring a two-artist showcase and awards show.

Throughout the years, it has taken place in Miami, Las Vegas and Puerto Rico, returning to Miami Beach for a fourth consecutive year in 2024, and has welcomed some of the biggest Latin acts including Celia Cruz, Selena, Ricky Martin, Chayanne, Jenni Rivera, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Bad Bunny, and Romeo Santos. Latin Music Week coincides with the 2024 Billboard Latin Music Awards set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 20, on Telemundo. It will simultaneously be available on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app, and in Latin America and the Caribbean through Telemundo Internacional.

Ariana Grande was working late on Saturday Night Live this weekend, ’cause she’s a singer — not that you would’ve been able to tell from her hilarious spoof of Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso” during the live comedy show Saturday (Oct. 12).

And one day after the sketch — which featured the Wicked star stumbling through parody lyrics set to the tune of the summer smash as part of an awkward bridesmaid tribute — the “Please Please Please” musician shared her reaction. “Very nice and on pitch,” Carpenter sarcastically joked on her Instagram Story, reposting a clip of the skit and adding a couple heart emojis.

The Girl Meets World alum also tagged Grande and the SNL cast members who played bridesmaids alongside the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist in the wedding reception-themed sketch: Heidi Gardner, Sarah Sherman and Ego Nwodim. While toasting a bride played by Chloe Fineman in front of her groom, played by Andrew Dismukes, the quartet reveals through their rendition of “Espresso” that their bachelorette party trip wasn’t exactly innocent. 

“Now we’re back in the house in the hot tub/ She’s there with Domingo,” the bridesmaids sing to the chorus melody of Carpenter’s Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit as Dismukes watches in horror. “Asks us to leave, get a hotel/ She’s vibing with Domingo.”

Sharing the “Feather” singer’s appraisal on her own Instagram Story, Grande replied, “tysm we tried.”

The “Espresso” skit was just one of several hilarious moments in the Grande-hosted episode Saturday. Though she made a concerted effort not to show off her usually fabulous vocals in the bridesmaid toast, the three-time Grammy winner did get to put her talents to use in a couple other scenes — despite Stevie Nicks appearing as musical guest instead of her.

In her opening monologue, for instance, Grande belted out a few runs in front of a kick line moments after pledging to keep her appearance on the show low-key. Elsewhere, the pop star impersonated Celine Dion, sang an ode to the singular scent of one’s best friend’s house and flexed her opera chops while portraying a young Italian music prodigy named Antonio.

Grande’s second time hosting comes eight years after she first led the show in 2016, and seven months after she appeared as musical guest earlier this year to perform tracks from her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine. In May, Carpenter made her SNL debut, singing “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” on the Jake Gyllenhaal-hosted program.  

Watch Grande’s “Espresso” spoof on SNL below.

Shawn Mendes has been at this half his life, but it wasn’t until he hunkered down in the studio post-COVID to work on his upcoming fifth studio album, Shawn (Nov. 15) that the 26-year-old singer said he really found his true self.

In a chat with old pal and mentor John Mayer for Interview magazine, Mayer suggested that Shawn “doesn’t sound like an artist trying to impress him or herself to their friend,” but instead one that finds its own way to the finish line in exactly the way the artist intended, even if, initially, it felt a bit, well, “boring.”

Mayer described what he imagined as Mendes listening back to the album opener — which he initially thought was boring — and layering on a few instruments, a couple more top harmonies and realizing, as Mendes noted, “‘This is exactly what I wanted.’” In fact, Mendes said after a few weeks of “pushing through this gunk” in the studio, he got to a place where things were “so beautiful and deep. I was like, ‘Wait, this is medicine.’”

According to Mayer’s four-step rule for music: Is it good? Do I like It? Is it me? and Can I replicate it live and have a good time doing it?, his friend killed it this time around. “Dude, I never thought that the most stripped-back art I’ve made would return the most to me,” said Mendes. “It’s already given me more than any of my albums by so much, and I haven’t even shown anyone.”

He has shared the album with his folks though, and in the most important sign-off, his mom, who usually doesn’t really weigh in, listened to the single “Isn’t That Enough” and proudly told her son, “‘Oh you found yourself.’” Mendes agrees, adding that thanks to therapy and the experience of being “burned and frozen,” he’s not as extreme as he used to be, both in his relationships and in his professional life.

In general, Mendes told Mayer, he’s “a lot more secure” in who he is these days, adding, “it feels really nice to put something out that’s going to portray me that way.” And while he’s feeling more self-assured and centered, Mendes said he’s also still on the fence about how much he wants to be “in the conversation” all the time.

“It’s always on my mind, like, how are people going to react? I delete Instagram, because I’m like, “’I’m not going to read the comments and be like, have any celebrities commented on this photo?,’” he said. “And then I redownload it and I’m immediately looking again. I have a lot of acceptance and patience for my humanity, but at the same time, I really want to exist in a more authentic way.”

Mendes canceled his Wonder tour in 2022 to focus on his mental health. “Understanding how setting boundaries does not make you an unkind person has really changed my life,” Mendes said in early 2023 “And also understanding that it’s not easy to do. It’s a difficult thing to do. It feels uncomfortable. It makes other people feel a little uncomfortable for a moment, but ultimately it’s a very powerful and helpful thing to do for every relationship. So yeah, boundary-setting is not mean, it’s actually very important. It’s very kind, actually.”

Mayer notes at one point in the interview that not only is there that song called “Isn’t That Enough” but another track features the lyric “isn’t that enough,” leading him to wonder if Mendes has finally found that balance of too much versus just enough. “If you’re asking for enough success, it’s never going to be enough. But I think I’ve learned to have enough come from more places in my life,” Mendes said, with the additional caveat, “I think that’s an extremely important thing to pass to the next generation, is that this sacrifice for pouring all of yourself into your art is immense.”

Mendes will preview songs from Shawn a day before its official release during a one-night-only screening of the concert film Shawn Mendes: For Friends and Family Only (A Life Concert Film), which will hit screens across the country on Nov. 14. So far, Mendes has released the singles “Why Why Why,” “Isn’t That Enough” and “Nobody Knows.”