This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin roundup and playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music from artists including Luck Ra, Nicki Nicole, Elsa y Elmar, Jhayco and more.

Sebastián Yatra returns with his new ballad “Los Domingos,” marking his first solo release since early 2023. This romantic acoustic pop song captures the initial stages of a relationship: “Fate put us face to face/ I waited for you, and I waited long enough/ And now I do, I just need a yes, and just like that/ I’d start with a love song,” he croons in Spanish. The music video further complements this theme, creatively depicting the Colombian performer riding a motorcycle to meet a special someone, blending fantasy and optimism perfectly.

Another release this week is Christian Nodal’s seven-track Pa’l Cora EP. 01, with four new songs, including his collaboration with upcoming Cumbia pop singer Estevie on “Un Besito Más.” The track is an upbeat Tex-Mex-styled tune about the conflicting emotions of wanting to move on while still being drawn to a lover from the past.

Mexican-American star Becky G is back with another corridos tumbados on “Cómo Diablos” which paves the way for an upcoming album Encuentros, due out October 10. The heartbreak single packs a punch with her unfiltered delivery, while blending traditional Mexican musical elements with a fiery passion. “Baby, what was it?/ Why the hell did you leave?/ If I gave you more than you asked for/ Explain to me/ How the hell did you do it/ To be happy when I’m still sad,” she sings in Spanish with gut-wrenching emotion.

Other new releases this week include Andrea Bocelli and Karol G’s “Vivo Por Ella,” Elsa y Elmar’s “Drogada de Emociones,” Jhayco’s “Grecia,” and more. Who should win the poll this week? Give these new releases a spin and vote on them below.

Maren Morris went through a scary time period after she called out Morgan Wallen three years ago, especially where her young son was concerned.

In a new interview on the Work in Progress podcast posted Thursday (Aug. 29), the 34-year-old musician opened up about the backlash she received immediately after slamming the “Last Night” singer for using a racial slur in 2021. “I mean, the death threat portion for me as a young mother was obviously scary,” Morris told host Sophia Bush. “And it wasn’t death threats against me. It was against my son, too. So it’s like, ‘Oh, wow. Now we’re involving the kids, the ones that you cared so much about.’”

Morris’ son Hayes — whom she shares with her ex-husband, songwriter Ryan Hurd — was less than a year old when a video of Wallen using the N-word began circulating. The “Cut!” singer joined Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton and more country stars in admonishing the behavior by tweeting: “We all know it wasn’t his first time using that word. We keep them rich and protected at all costs with no recourse.”

“You’re like, ‘How are people this pissed over the criticism of cruelty?’” Morris reflected of the negative responses her tweet received on Work in Progress. “I think it’s because they’re not only defending the person that said this, but they’re taking it personally as if I’m criticizing them, which I think says a lot more about their interpretation of criticism — and what that content was — than me as a person calling out someone using the N word, or even transphobia s–t I’ve criticized in the past.”

For his part, Wallen apologized one week after the video went viral. “The video you saw was me on hour 72 of 72 of a bender, and that’s not something I’m proud of,” he said in a video statement. “I accepted some invitations from some amazing Black organizations, some executives and leaders, to engage in some very real and honest conversations.”

As for Morris? She stands by what she said. “I don’t regret it, I don’t apologize,” she added on the podcast. “I feel the exact same way as I did that day … Don’t be racist. Don’t be transphobic. Don’t be homophobic.”

Listen to Morris’ conversation on Work in Progress below.

Stevie Wonder wants us to come together. The legendary artist dropped a new track on Friday (Aug. 30), fittingly titled, “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?”

The track features a strong call for unity over an acoustic guitar as he demands in the hook: “Can we fix our nation’s broken heart?/ Are we brave enough to try?”

While the song is not political in its lyrics, the track’s release is timely with the presidential elections coming up in November. Wonder took the stage on the third night of the Democratic National Convention earlier this month, sharing some powerful remarks for the audience before performing “Higher Ground,” off his 1973 album, Innervisions. “This is a moment to tell your children where you were and what you did,” he declared. “When we stand between history’s pain and tomorrows promises we must choose courage complacency.”

Throughout his career, Wonder has always stood up for injustices through song, most recently in 2020. He released two songs, “Where Is Our Love Song?” and “Can’t Put It in the Hands of Fate.” “I keep thinking about how we can make the world better,” he told Billboard at the time. “I’m in this place where the more I’m seeing things like people dying in this pandemic, killings amid Black Lives Matter, social media negativity, anger … the more I’m a believer that respect is an action word and so is love. I also have a song with PJ Morton, “Where Did All Your Happy Go,” for his next album. It’s about not letting anybody steal your happiness or take your joy away. The driving force for me has to always be the goodness in our hearts.”

Listen to Stevie Wonder’s “Can We Fix Our Nation’s Broken Heart?” below.

With two concurrent viral hits right now, “Ohnana” and “UWAIE,” Kapo is having a moment.

Far from an overnight success, the Colombian newcomer has been hustling in the music industry for 15 years. In fact, his first approach to music was at the age of 12, with música popular (Colombia’s version of regional Mexican music). 

“I lived at a gas station in a small town called El Cabuyal, where that’s the only type of music that was heard,” he tells Billboard. “I sang at the small stores and parking lots near the truck stop, that’s how I debuted, and people would give me coins. I wanted to become a global artist.”

At 13, Kapo recorded his first urban song, “Yo Tengo Un Sueño” (I have a dream), which became popular among his school friends. He pursued a brief career in mass communication, but always with the itch to follow his dream as a singer. At 16, he sold his motorcycle, and with the money he moved to the capital, Bogotá, invested in a music video, and in a promo tour. 

The first person to support him was an artist from Cali called Big Daddy “El Negro,” who would take him to his shows to sing and connected him with other artist and producers in the industry. In search of extra income, Kapo participated on the reality show Yo Me Llamo, where he would imitate Puerto Rican rapper Cosculluela. For two years, he was also the background vocalist for Dominican-born, Panamanian-based artist Mr. Saik. 

In 2019, he inked a record deal with La Industria, Inc.,—home to Nicky Jam and Manuel Turizo, to name a few—and released songs such as “Pelinegra” with Nánpa Basico and “Bulevar” with Esteban Rojas and Pirlo, which gained traction locally. Still, Kapo was behind his global hit. 

“I realized that I didn’t have to do what worked, but what moved me,” he notes. “I made romantic music all my life, but I kept it to myself. I have a very bohemian vein, an old soul. My mother always spoke to me about very beautiful things. She is a very humble lady, her vocabulary is not very advanced because she always worked in a restaurant, but she raised her son and her son looked for alternatives to succeed with the correct morals and principles.” 

He analyzed the music industry, other artists, the songs that made him known locally — and realized that there was a lack of feel-good, reflective, romantic music. He changed the way he dressed and talked, he focused on his health, read books, and took yoga classes. But it was one precise trip to Jamaica, and a heartbreak, that changed his fate. 

“Ohnana,” released this June, was born during a music camp where he was joined by dancehall artist Lion Fiyah and Colombian hitmaker Gangsta. “After I visited the Bob Marley museum, I worked on the song, I was in a vibe, and in another tune with my vocal tones. ‘Ohnana’ means ‘trust everything will be fine.’”

And the suave Afrobeat with poetic lyrics earned Kapo his first global hit — one that he manifested for 15 years. “Ohnana” peaks at No. 21 on the Hot Latin Songs chart this week, and rises to a new peak on the Billboard Global 200, at No. 60. Plus rises to its No. 30 high on Global Excl. U.S.

Simultaneously, his recent single “UWAIE” — which means “I’m in love with you” in his very own “Kapito Language,” and is an ode to the women in his life — debuts at No. 35 on Hot Latin Songs and at No. 138 on Global 200 and at No. 81 on Global Excl. U.S. The song also counts over 1 million video creations on TikTok at the time of publishing. 

“I started to declare everything. I started to talk positively to myself. I started to love myself, and not go where all the sheep go,” he concludes. 

Below, learn more about this month’s Billboard Latin Artist on the Rise:

Name: Juan David Loaiza Sepúlveda

Age: 27

Recommended Song: “UWAIE”

Major Accomplishment: “Loving what I do and expanding what I do in music to nourish my life and my family. My mother is calm and can count on a son who is moving forward and giving love to the world. More than having hit songs, my mother feels comfortable that I can trust in me and not doubt my creativity. My voice is imperfect musically but in the end it transmits and reaches people. That is what makes me happiest, that through my gift I was able to support my family and connect with people in the best way possible… by being myself.”

What’s Next: “The ‘Ohnana’ remix and a salsa version of the song are coming. I would also like to do an English version with artists from Africa, but that’s a project I have in mind. I’m going to be on the remix of Greeicy’s ‘A Veces a Besos,’ and I’m going to release music with Maluma and J Balvin, but also a song of mine called ‘Sonrie’ (smile) that reflects everything I’m feeling at this moment.”