La Arrolladora Banda El Limón de René Camacho joins forces with Juanes to achieve their first collaborative No. 1, as “Una Noche Contigo” jumps 2-1 on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart dated Jan. 17. It’s the 21st leader for the former, and the first for the latter.

“To be at No. 1 on the Billboard Regional Mexican Airplay chart for the 21st time with ‘Una Noche Contigo,’ and to do so alongside Juanes, is a gift I will never forget,” René Camacho, founder of La Arrolladora, tells Billboard. “This song was born from a very special connection, and you all took it to the top. Thank you for making it part of your life and mine.”

“Una Noche Contigo,” initially released as a pop song by Juanes (April 2025) and co-produced by Edgar Barrera and Julio Reyes Copello, was given a banda makeover by producer Fernando Camacho. Released Nov. 14 on FONO/UMLE, the reimagined version jumps 2-1 on Regional Mexican Airplay fueled by an 11% growth in audience impressions, to 7.2 million, earned in the United States during the tracking week ending January 8, according to Luminate.

La Arrolladora ups its career No. 1 count to 21 leaders, tying with Intocable for the third-most champs overall. Both groups trail Calibre 50, which leads with 27 No. 1s, and Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga, closely following with 22. Below is a look at the acts with the most rulers since the Regional Mexican Airplay chart launched in 1994.

Artist, Title Count
Calibre 50, 27
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga, 22
Intocable, 21
La Arrolladora Banda el Limón de Rene Camacho, 21
Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga, 19
Los Tigres del Norte, 18
Christian Nodal, 17

Juanes, meanwhile, secures his first No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay among four entries.

Over on Latin Airplay “Una Noche Contigo” moves up, 6-5, marking Juanes’ highest ranking in over five years, since “Bonita,” with Sebastián Yatra, peaked at No. 1 in Nov. 2019.

Our latest hybrid charts reflect the first week of newly updated weighting of on-demand streams. 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.

With Stranger Things coming to an end with its season and series finale on New Year’s Eve, you might think we would be done seeing the show’s impact on the Billboard charts. Not just yet, as the buzz around the series’ final installment shoots Djo‘s “End of Beginning” to new heights on the Billboard Hot 100.

The fact that “Beginning” is getting such a big bump is particularly interesting, given that “End of Beginning” was not featured in the series finale, or even in any other Stranger Things episode — but is the work of cast member Joe Keery, who plays fan favorite Steve Harrington in the show. The song hits a new high of No. 6 on the Hot 100 dated Jan. 17 thanks to renewed fan interest — following its re-entrance at No. 16 a week earlier — which beats its old chart peak of No. 11, originally reached in early 2024.

How did the song end up getting an even bigger bump than the songs featured in the series finale? And is this still a good thing for Djo’s career? Billboard staffers answer these questions and more below.

1. Following the end of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season on New Year’s Eve, Djo’s “End of Beginning” returned to the Hot 100, and this week bounds 16-6 on the chart. On a scale from 1-10, how surprised are you about the song making this big a re-entrance?

Katie Bain: 7, given that all the Stranger Things musical successes over the last ten years have been related to older songs, and certainly not songs made by any of the cast members themselves. If you’d asked me before this season began how this song might re-chart, I’d probably have guessed top 40, so No. 6 is particularly surprising. That said, given that Joe Keery’s character is so popular that the finale featured his red herring (red Harrington?) fake out death just to bend all our brains for a second, I’m not shocked that fans are showing this level of love for “End of Beginning” and for Djo. 

Kyle Denis: Damn near a 10! It’s a cool song that already had its time in the sun during its original run… and it doesn’t even appear in the final season of Stranger Things so I’m completely shocked at its resurgence.

Josh Glicksman: It’s a 7 verging on an 8 for me. I’m not surprised to see some uptick in listens for Keery given the show’s popularity, but for it to rebound this significantly is pretty compelling. For one thing, he seems to be the only Stranger Things star benefitting from this kind of astronomical bump despite a wealth of musicians among the cast. And for another, it feels both long enough since “End of Beginning” faded from the charts and too soon since its initial viral surge for it to be storming back with such tenacity already.

Joe Lynch: 10! I really did not expect this coming. Had the song been featured in the finale, that number would be 7, but it’s almost unheard of for an actor’s song to go top 10 based on a TV show it never appeared in and has nothing to do with.

Andrew Unterberger: Probably a 9. Would be a 10, except that after “Running Up That Hill” became one of the biggest hits of a few years ago, no Stranger Things-related bump can really be a 10 again.

2. “End of Beginning” was not actually included in the Stranger Things finale, and in fact has never been in the show — it’s only connected through Joe Keery being part of the cast — but it got the biggest bump of any song following the episode. What do you think is the biggest reason that is?

Katie Bain: Steve was always one of the most lovable characters on the show and easily had the most endearing character arc, which helped the global love for Keery go into overdrive since the launch of season five and reach a sort of Beatlemania peak around the finale. Plus, Keery is the only cast member actively making music for fans to support right now, and the fact that his musical career has launched in tandem with the show means fans are essentially using Djo’s music to soundtrack the global event that was the extended season five release schedule — arguably the most powerful synch of all.  

Kyle Denis: Stranger Things fans are sentimental. Many viewers have grown through their adolescence and young adulthood alongside the show, and it truly does feel like the “end of [the] beginning” of the first part of their lives — and the Stranger Things era of Joe Keery’s career. These days the intensity of a song’s emotional pull is often best measured by its popularity in edits and fancams. Unsurprisingly, Stranger Things fans have rallied around “End” to soundtrack their final montages to their beloved show, resulting in the track’s return to the top 10 on TikTok’s Top 50 trending sounds in the U.S.

Josh Glicksman: The intense speculation about his potential on-screen death may have given him a jolt beyond the series. Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer teased an untimely fate for Steve Harrington during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon; following the finale, clips of a table read for that pivotal scene have been making the rounds. It’s well-known within the fan base that Keery’s character was initially supposed to last just a handful of episodes, and the mere thought of losing him near the end may have sent the masses to his music.

Joe Lynch: It helps that people knew the song already – it hit the Hot 100 back in 2024 and has now spent a total of 23 weeks on the tally so far. Plus, the song’s title, which literally includes the word “end,” lends itself to a certain wistful melancholy people experienced when a beloved show airs its final episode.

Andrew Unterberger: People seemed to be really worried about Steve! I can’t say I totally understand why; if there was ever a series finale that was unlikely to have any real casualties of consequence, it was this one. Steve Sanders was probably in more danger fighting mid-20s malaise in the Beverly Hills, 90210 finale than Steve Harrington was fighting Vecna in the Stranger Things capper.

3. The Stranger Things moment is now nearly two weeks in the rearview, but the “Beginning” is still doing impressively on streaming. Do you think it will climb into the top five, or is No. 6 going to end up standing as its peak (for this go-round anyway)?

Katie Bain: Much like Steve Harrington scaling the Squawk Radio tower to try to impress Nancy, I think this one could keep climbing. 

Kyle Denis: It’s big world, and there’s always a new audience to introduce a song too… and it’s also Q1, which is a notoriously quiet period for new music. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if “End” snuck a week or two in the top five.

Josh Glicksman: I’d wait one more week to see if it can crack the top five, but I’m not optimistic beyond that point for this go-round. He’s done a good job of maintaining momentum: An appearance at the Golden Globes on Sunday night as a presenter with Charli xcx is sure to keep him front of mind — particularly as the Brat star pushes a fan edit of their efforts — but as Stranger Things drifts further into the rearview, I’d expect “End of Beginning” to dip back down on the charts with it.

Joe Lynch: I would guess No. 6 is its peak just because of the Bruno Mars single debuting next week and the staying (or gaining) power of the rest of the top 5. If Bruno weren’t back, however, I would have said it had a shot at top 5.

Andrew Unterberger: I would say it’s next week or never for “End of Beginning” — but if “End of Beginning” has taught us anything over the course of its two increasingly unlikely chart runs, it’s to never say never with the Billboard Hot 100. If it doesn’t make it next week, maybe it will six weeks from now after radio scoops it back up, or maybe it will six months (or six years) from now for some far more unpredictable reason. Once a song gets through the door on the Hot 100, everything is on the table for it from there.

4. Though he’s managed to maintain a pretty devoted following since the breakthrough of “End of Beginning,” Djo hasn’t scored another Hot 100 hit since. Do you think “Beginning” re-peaking like this will have a positive impact on his career, or will it result in the song looming somewhat uncomfortably over the rest of his catalog?

Katie Bain: It’s possible that it will ultimately serve as a sort of anomaly in his catalog, given that there will never be another Stranger Things finale to supercharge streams and the rest of his music will land outside of the show’s run. But obviously this is a very ideal stepping stone in a musical career that’s already going quite well, with the show helping put Djo’s music into a lot of new ears, so I think this all has to serve as a multidirectional win that bodes well for his future.

Kyle Denis: Probably a mixture of both. Clearly Keery chose a stage name and kept his music and acting careers separate for a reason, so his signature song becoming synonymous with the final season of an era-defining series probably wasn’t his intention. Nonetheless, a re-peak of this magnitude is only a positive thing for the commercial longevity of his music career.

Josh Glicksman: I can’t see much reason as to why cracking the top 10 on the Hot 100 would be a negative for Keery, but it’s hard to argue against the idea that “End of Beginning” is casting a sizable shadow over the rest of his work. Sure, The Crux lead single “Basic Being Basic” spent a week atop Alternative Airplay, but given the quality and breadth of his discography, I’m surprised nothing else has latched on long-term like “End of Beginning.” From “Mr. Mountebank” to “Potion” to “Flash Mountain,” there’s something in there for everyone across his catalog. Time to get moving on a deep dive, people.

Joe Lynch: The song’s resurgence is a clear win for his career – despite never featuring in the show, it’s intrinsically connected to it, and the show will likely remain a comfort-watch favorite for many folks for decades to come. Will it loom larger over the rest of his catalog? Probably, but I really don’t see a downside to being an indie guy with one massive hit that pays the bills and affords you some freedom to see what else you can do.  

Andrew Unterberger: Long-term, I’m sure Joe Keery will appreciate the benefits that having a streaming perennial like “End of Beginning” will provide him in perpetuity. Short-term, I bet he’s doing a little bit of eye-rolling about the song popping off like this again.

5. With Stranger Things officially going off the air, what TV show do you think now takes its place as the single most valuable current show for synch placement? 

Katie Bain: I don’t know if it’s the most valuable in terms of actual paychecks, but in terms of cachet, I think season two of Heated Rivalry and season four of White Lotus (both forthcoming) have to be extremely hot prospects. But with the Yellowstone juggernaut now wrapped, my metaphorical money is on its new spinoff Marshalls taking the cake in terms of reach and monetary value. 

Kyle Denis: It’s gotta be Heated Rivalry.

Josh Glicksman: Keep an eye on Euphoria. I’m interested to see if season three still has the juice — there’s lofty potential for synchs there.

Joe Lynch: Euphoria or The White Lotus. Obviously Heated Rivalry is as buzzy as TV gets right now, but when it comes to shows that reliably drive tune-in and conversation, those two are consistent heavyweights.

Andrew Unterberger: Heated Rivalry. It’s one thing to remind people about enormously popular songs that they’ve loved for decades, but it’s quite another to turn Canadian indie rock songs from 20 years ago into million-streaming sensations.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday (Jan. 13) the newest acquisitions to its expansive Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, comprising more than 52 million items.

Recent acquisitions include Paul Reubens’ screen-used hero bicycle from Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985); Ray Gilbert’s Oscar for best original song for “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” from Song of the South (1946); and handwritten music score and sheet music for the Oscar-winning title song from High Noon (1952), “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’).” Both songs became hits on pre-Hot 100 Billboard charts circa their release. “Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah” was also top 10 Hot 100 hit in 1963 for Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, produced by Phil Spector.

The Academy has been collecting and preserving film and film-related materials since 1927. Its collection contains items reflecting all aspects of the moviemaking process – including costumes, photographs, scripts, posters, production art, sound recordings, books, film and video assets, props, cameras, projectors, clippings, makeup and hairstyling tools, visual effects technologies, and promotional materials.

The public can access components of the Academy Collection through:

A selected list of new collection items includes:

Cher says Sonny Bono’s widow should have to foot the $1 million bill from elite lawyers who won a court ruling preserving the pop superstar’s right to publishing royalties.

Mary Bono initiated a bitter legal battle in 2021 by claiming Cher was no longer entitled to royalties from the Sonny & Cher catalog, including 1960s hits like “I Got You Babe,” “The Beat Goes On” and “Baby Don’t Go.” But a California federal judge rejected this contention in 2024, and he officially entered judgment in Cher’s favor this past November.

Now, Cher wants Mary to cover the hefty fees incurred by her attorneys at the media law powerhouse Davis Wright Tremaine. The legal team, composed of Peter Anderson, Sean Sullivan, Eric Lamm and Samuel Turner, billed nearly 2,000 hours at rates ranging from $400 to $795 per hour.

“Defendant sought to keep or obtain, among other things, millions of dollars of Cher’s royalties,” reads the Monday (Jan. 12) motion for reimbursement. “Given the relief that Cher sought and the amounts of royalties involved, Cher was perfectly justified in incurring $1,023,605.50 in attorney’s fees to successfully defeat defendant’s improper attempt at termination.”

The litigation revolved around Cher and Sonny’s 1978 divorce settlement, which allocated Cher a 50% cut of the publishing royalties from songs the former couple wrote together. That agreement stayed in effect for years, including after Bono died in a 1998 skiing accident — until Mary took the position in 2021 that Cher was no longer due any royalties because of copyright law’s so-called termination right.

The termination right allows songwriters and their heirs to claw back control of intellectual property decades after signing it away. But U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt ruled in 2024 that this provision cannot apply to Sonny and Cher’s divorce, which was a contract for financial compensation rather than a copyright assignment.

Cher’s lawyers argue in the Monday fee motion that Mary’s position was always rooted in an “untenable interpretation” of copyright law. They note, for example, that the termination right statute specifically excludes contracts arising out of state law, such as Sonny and Cher’s California-based divorce settlement.

“Yet defendant dragged this case out for five years by taking patently unreasonable positions,” write Cher’s attorneys. “Defendant argued, repeatedly and frivolously, that a federal statute that expressly states it does not affect state-law rights somehow extinguishes those state-law rights.”

Mary’s legal team did not immediately return a request for comment on the fee request on Tuesday (Jan. 13). She is appealing Judge Kronstadt’s decision and has maintained that the termination right was properly invoked.

Foo Fighters gave their first concert of the year on Saturday (Jan. 10) in the city of León, located in the central state of Guanajuato, Mexico, in a new setting for the iconic American band: a state fair. The result was a success, drawing more than 25,000 attendees, according to organizers, and meeting the challenge of bringing the stadium-filling rock band outside the major festival circuit in Mexico City and Monterrey.

The achievement is the result of a strategy that the Patronato, a citizens’ council, began several years ago to make the annual Feria Estatal de León, which has been held for 150 years, a key destination, with major performances that place the city and state on both national and international maps.

“When a traditional fair like the Feria de León offers high-level content, it generates significant tourism revenue that ensures a safe return on investment,” Alonso Limón Rode, general director of the Feria de León and Parque Urbano, tells Billboard Español. “The fair thus becomes an economic driver for the city and the state in the first weeks of the year.”

Organizers expect the 2026 Feria de León, which began Friday (Jan. 9) and will run through Feb. 4, to attract 6.7 million visitors — more than 30% of whom are from outside the region — over 27 days of activities, generating economic revenue of 9 billion pesos ($504 million USD).

In addition to Foo Fighters, this year’s lineup includes artists such as Zoé, DJ Tiësto, Los Ángeles Azules, and Banda Machos in a venue known as Foro de la Gente Mazda. Meanwhile, in the city’s Palenque — promoted as “the largest in the country” with a capacity for 7,500 people — the headlining act is Mexican star Carín León, followed by other major regional Mexican music acts, including Julión Álvarez and Christian Nodal. (A palenque is an indoor space popular as a performance venue for Latin artists that often boasts a central or 360-degree stage.)

Limón Rode explains that in 2024, the Feria de León set a precedent for attracting international talent to the annual event in the livestock-oriented city, located 360 kilometers (about 224 miles) from Mexico City and home to 1.7 million residents, according to official data. A year later, British acts Sam Smith and Def Leppard performed.

“The first big task was convincing the agencies representing those artists. First, we had to put the state on the map, then the city, and then explain that it’s a local fair,” Limón Rode recalls. “Then we gave them the certainty and security that we are prepared to host this type of artist.”

This year, the Patronato of the Feria Estatal de León joined forces with Mexico’s leading promoter, Ocesa — part of the global entertainment giant Live Nation — to organize and produce the concerts at Foro de la Gente Mazda, as well as to secure the artists performing there.

“We carried out a process to select the company providing the entire integrated service. The company tasked with organizing and producing the venue had to provide comprehensive services in terms of production, catering and travel,” Limón Rode says, adding that more than 13 Mexican promoters participated in the selection process this year. “We evaluated technical and operational capacity, financial solvency, and economic stability, and we were thrilled to find in Ocesa a very serious, thoroughly proven company.”

One unique feature of the Feria de León is that most of its events are free to the public. “Eighty-five percent of the capacity is free. We aim to bring this kind of content closer to the people, ensuring accessibility, and we’ve developed an entire strategy to generate revenue to sustain this investment,” says Limón Rode.

Digital tickets are distributed free of charge to attendees through an online registration process. “Users enter a random virtual queue through this digital system, with no fees, and a QR code is issued, which is activated hours before the concert,” he explains. The remaining 15% of the Foro de la Gente Mazda’s capacity is sold to the public under a concept called Fila Cero (Zero Line), guaranteeing access to those attendees.

The announcement that Foo Fighters and Zoé would perform at this year’s event led to approximately 500,000 and 650,000 people, respectively, to try to secure free tickets, according to organizers.

“The Feria de León began 150 years ago as a fair that commemorated the foundation of the city in two aspects: allegorical floats and a livestock exhibition,” Limón Rode says. “But now, it has taken a very significant turn, and we are being viewed from an international perspective. That excites us greatly.”

For more information, visit the Feria de León’s official website.