Honda Stage is dedicated to celebrating determined artists and their journeys while bringing exclusive content to fans, and the 2024-2025 group was no exception. Honda Stage and Billboard have come together to spotlight the incredible talents and career trajectories of Mustard, Maeta and Amirah. As part of this music discovery program, the content capsules offer fans each artists’ unique, candid takes on their origin stories, new music and even allows them to have a little fun along the way.

Scroll on below to see the artists in their element through each of their respective video capsules as part of the program!

About Honda Stage

Honda Stage is a music platform that builds on the brand’s deep foundation of celebrating determined artists and their journeys while bringing unique music experiences to fans. Honda Stage offers exclusive, behind-the-scenes music content and inspirational stories from on-the-rise and fan-favorite artists, giving music fans access to the moments they love while celebrating the creativity and drive it takes to make it big.

Last summer, Chappell Roan made headlines for loudly calling out predatory fan behavior through a series of social media posts. Months later, she says her interactions in public have drastically changed, with the “Hot to Go!” artist theorizing on Call Her Daddy that listeners are now too afraid to approach her.

“I think people are scared of me,” Roan told host Alex Cooper on the podcast posted Wednesday (March 26). “I think I made a big enough deal about not talking to me that people do not talk to me.”

“I’ve been with people, like, friends who are artists, and when they’re with me, they’re like, ‘It’s a force field around us. People don’t come up to me if I’m with you,’” the Missouri native continued. “I’m just like, ‘Damn, baby. You say it too. You say, ‘Don’t touch me, don’t touch me. Don’t look at me, don’t touch me. I don’t know who you are.’ And they won’t come up and bother you.”

The interview comes about seven months after Roan sparked widespread discourse about how society treats celebrities in public, with the Grammy winner at the time emphasizing how scary it can be to have people touch her without consent, harass her family members or track her whereabouts. “Women don’t owe you s–t,” she wrote in an August note on Instagram. “I chose this career path because because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”

On Call Her Daddy, Roan clarified that just because she felt the need to set boundaries with fans, doesn’t mean she enjoyed doing it. “It hurts that I have to … I know it really hurts people,” she said. “They feel like it’s me disrespecting them, that I owe it to them and that, how dare I call it abuse or complain about success. I get that a lot, but I’m not complaining about success. I’m just complaining about creepy behavior. I love admiration — everyone loves admiration. I just don’t want you to interrupt me when I’m having a fight with my girlfriend. Don’t be like, ‘Can I get a photo?’ when I’m crying, talking to my girlfriend. That’s f–king crazy.”

The reason Roan felt compelled to call out fans in the first place was due in part to how quickly she became a household name within the span of just a few months in 2024, thanks to the runaway success of her Billboard Hot 100 hit “Good Luck, Babe!,” summer festival appearances and album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. “It happened literally overnight,” Roan recalled to Cooper.

As her fame levels multiplied, so did the amount of creepy experiences with fans, a metamorphosis that Roan compared to a “second puberty.” “It’s like everything is gonna change, and everything is gonna hurt and everything is gonna be uncomfortable now,” she said. “Katy Perry was so straight up … When she came up to me at [Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s] Sweat Tour, she’s like, ‘Just don’t read the comments, honey. Bye bye.’ She just, like, hopped off, and I was, like, actually cackling. Like, why am I doing this to myself?”

“You don’t realize how many people are watching you, and you don’t realize they are,” Roan added. “Some people want me dead. It’s crazy. People know everything about me. People know my flight numbers. People know everything.”

Listen to Roan on Call Her Daddy below.

Pablo Alborán begins a new chapter in his career with the release of “Clickbait,” the first single of his upcoming album, due out in November via Warner Music Spain. The upcoming seventh studio album follows La Cuarta Hoja (2022), but it won’t be his only new music on stage this year: The Malaga-born singer-songwriter is gearing up for his acting debut in a Netflix series, while mapping out an extensive tour set to span Latin America, the United States and Spain.

Talking with Billboard Español, Alborán reflects on the past few months, describing them as one of the most emotionally intense periods of his life — a time that completely shifted his perspective and led him to rethink many things, including his music.

“It’s been a year full of emotions, without a clear path,” he says. “But that’s exactly why I gave myself permission to explore, experiment with sounds, and, most importantly, have fun.”

The first glimpse of this new chapter is “Clickbait.” Released on Wednesday (March 26), it stands as one of the most striking songs of his career, not only for its bold, electronic-infused production but also for its powerful message.

“I’ve never spoken so openly about fame, envy, prejudice, and the obsession with likes,” Alborán explains. “It’s my way of venting, of releasing all the anger this world of fake news and sensationalism —where everything revolves around negativity — provokes in me. I wanted a song that could serve as both a shield and a sword for anyone who needs it.”

The track also experiments with new sonic elements, something that, according to Alborán, even surprised his mother. “It’s a different language — a mix of Spanish and English, saturated sounds, and references to what we consume on social media,” he says. “The first time my mom heard it, she was in shock — but by the third listen, she already knew the hook.”

The music video for the song, directed by La Carbonera Studio and filmed in Madrid, reinforces its critique of the image-obsessed world. In the video, Alborán walks in front of a mirror while a group of dancers tries to stop him from looking at himself: “Each character represents a figure in the industry: a paparazzo, an executive, a lawyer, an influencer,” he explains. “It’s a metaphor for everything that surrounds fame.”

Choosing “Clickbait” as the lead single for his upcoming album was not an easy decision. Beyond its bold sound and direct message, Alborán had to confront his own fears and the uncertainty of how it would be received. “I asked myself many times: ‘Am I ready to defend this? How will people react?’ But I went back to my first instinct. When I revisit the moment I wrote the song and remember why I did it, I know it has a purpose,” he says. “I’m not doing anything just for the sake of it.”

More than just a collection of songs, his upcoming album — whose title he has yet to reveal — is a window into how he sees the world. Through his music, he invites listeners into his bubble to experience his unfiltered vision, free of labels or prejudice. “It’s a very diverse album,” he says. “I talk about love from a different perspective, about my roots, family, and the people who care for us. And sonically, I’ve allowed myself complete freedom.”

The album features a wide spectrum of sounds ranging from country to flamenco bulerías, and even a special collaboration with renowned guitarist Vicente Amigo, further cementing Alborán’s connection to his Andalusian roots. This identity was formally recognized on February 28, when he was awarded the Medalla de las Artes by the Junta de Andalucía, honoring his contributions to Spanish music and his career achievements.

Far from being confined to a single genre, Alborán has embraced fearless experimentation. “The songs are in charge. If one called for a Dobro (a resonator guitar) and a country rhythm, I added it. If another needed a bulería, I gave it that too. I don’t want to be boxed in,” he says. “I think all artists feel the pressure of expectations, but I’ve learned to let go of that.”

In this process of musical exploration, one of his key collaborators has been Albert Hype, a producer known for his work with artists like Bad Bunny and Kali Uchis. “When we sat down in the studio for the first time, the first thing he said was, ‘Give me a ballad,’” Alborán recalls. “I thought, ‘Really?’ But when I saw what he did with it, I knew I could trust him.”

Their chemistry led to collaborations on several tracks for the album. “Once I saw that Albert understood my essence, I let him go wild,” Alborán says with a laugh. “At the end of the day, my voice is what defines me. It doesn’t matter if the song has touches of reggaetón, flamenco, or experimental pop — it will always sound like me.”

For this album, Alborán also collaborated with producer Julio Reyes Copello, with whom he has worked in the past. “Julio has produced two incredible songs. He’s someone I always connect with perfectly,” says the artist. “His sensitivity for taking a song to another level is unmatched.”

Alborán has made his mark on Billboard charts, with multiple entries on Hot Latin Songs, Top Latin Albums, and Latin Pop Airplay. His album Terral (2014) debuted at No. 1 on Latin Pop Albums and No. 2 on Top Latin Albums, while his collaboration “Dónde Está el Amor” with Jesse & Joy reached No. 16 on Hot Latin Songs and No. 8 on Latin Pop Airplay.

Music isn’t Alborán’s only focus in 2025. He will also make his acting debut in the Spanish Netflix series Respira, playing an emergency plastic surgeon in its second season, though the premiere date has yet to be announced.

“Acting has always intrigued me, but I had never taken the leap. When I was offered the role, my family couldn’t believe it. ‘Are you sure?’ they asked. I was asking myself the same thing,” he admits with a laugh.

To prepare, he spent months studying and even attended real surgeries to better understand the role. “It was intense, but it also helped me a lot on a personal level,” he shares. “I had just gone through a very difficult situation with a family member’s health, and being surrounded by doctors allowed me to see things from a different perspective. It all came together to bring more authenticity to the character.”

Filming has also served as an escape for him. “When the industry overwhelms me, acting feels like a breath of fresh air. I step into another character and disconnect. It’s my way of finding balance,” he says.

He is also preparing for his most ambitious tour to date, set to kick off in February 2026. “This tour is very special to me,” says Alborán. “Not only because it will be global, but because this album allows me to experiment on stage. I’ll be taking audiences through all the stages of my life, from my roots in Málaga to the present.”

His return to the United States and Latin America will be especially emotional following the experience of his last tour during a personally challenging time, as a close family member faced a health issue. “That tour saved my life,” he says about La Cuarta Hoja in 2023. “I went on stage carrying the hardest situation I’ve ever faced at home, and the audience, without knowing it, gave me incredible support. I’ll never forget it.”

SoundExchange has partnered with Music Nation Copyrights Management, a leading music rights organization in the United Arab Emirates, as part of new efforts to ensure fair compensation for sound recording owners, producers and artists when their music is publicly performed across the UAE’s music industry.

This collaboration, announced Wednesday (March 26), will enable Music Nation to leverage SoundExchange’s technology and data in order to collect and distribute neighboring rights royalties in the UAE. The UAE’s first comprehensive rights management system will streamline the collection of performance, mechanical and neighboring rights royalties, providing a single solution for music rightsholders, the companies said in a joint announcement.

Music Nation plays a key role in the UAE’s evolving copyright landscape by licensing the rights of authors, publishers, performers and sound recording owners. With partnerships like those with BMI and SoundExchange, Music Nation is advancing the country’s efforts to protect musical copyrights through a comprehensive licensing and royalty distribution infrastructure.

The partnership builds on Music Nation’s existing collaboration with BMI, the U.S. performing rights organization, further ensuring that local and international artists, songwriters, publishers, and record labels are compensated for the use of their work in the UAE. The timing aligns with the region’s rapid music industry growth, as IFPI recently reported a 22.8% increase in recorded music revenue in MENA in 2024, marking it as the fastest-growing music market globally.

Rasha Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairwoman of Music Nation, expressed excitement about the partnership, saying “by comprehensively and accurately collecting and distributing neighboring rights royalties, Music Nation will help ensure the continued growth of the region’s vibrant music ecosystem.” 

Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, added: “Our in-depth administration expertise, proven record on rate settings, and premiere distribution processes for international creators will provide capabilities to propel the emerging UAE market. SoundExchange is proud to partner with Music Nation on this exciting project, and to help the Emirati creator community realize the true power and value of their music.”