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Justin Bieber has designed a one-of-a-kind hockey jersey for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team sported the Bieber-designed gear during a game against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday (March 23), ESPN reports.
“My love for the Maple Leafs has always been a big part of who I am, and my passion for the team, and the passion of millions of fans, is stitched into this Next Gen sweater,” the Canadian crooner said in a statement. “I’m grateful to the Leafs for the chance to team up again to create something so authentic for the team and its fans.”
The “Peaches” singer who is currently on tour, traveled back home to Canada to attend Wednesday’s game. The Maple Leafs tweeted footage from the Bieber visit on Thursday (March 24). The reversible hockey jersey is the first of its kind to be released in North American professional sports, and was designed in partnership with Adidas and the National Hockey League (NHL).
Hold on, last night was a movie 🎥 pic.twitter.com/VnOsxVSf8t
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 24, 2022
The jerseys retail for $119 for women’s sizes and $169 for men’s size and are available in sizes ranging from XS-5XL. They’re almost sold out at the NHL shop, but we saved you the time of searching for them online. Click the links below to purchase a reversible jersey or an alternate Maple Leafs NHL jersey. You’ll get free shipping when you enter the code NHLFAN1 at checkout. The promo will only be live for another few more hours, so you’ll have to act fast to get the discount.
See the reversible Toronto Maple Leafs jersey and other options below.
Buy: Men’s Toronto Maple Leafs Fanatics Branded Black Alternate Premier Breakaway Reversible Blank Jersey ($129)
Buy: Women’s Toronto Maple Leafs Fanatics Branded Black Alternate Premier Breakaway Reversible Blank Jersey ($119)
Buy: Men’s Toronto Maple Leafs Fanatics Branded Black Alternate Premier Breakaway Reversible Blank Jersey ($169)
Buy: Men’s adidas Black Authentic Toronto Maple Leafs x drew House Alternate Custom Jersey ($250)
J Balvin and Ed Sheeran have blessed fans with two brand-new bilingual songs titled “Sigue” and “Forever My Love.”
Marking the first collaborations between the pair, the two-song EP is powered by an uptempo reggaeton dance song, and a stripped-down melancholic ballad with each artist playing their acoustic guitars. Sheeran first dabbled in Latin music with his 2017 “Shape of You” remix featuring Zion & Lennox.
Most recently, the British singer-songwriter practiced his Spanish in Camila Cabello‘s “Bam Bam,” where he mainly sings in English but joins Cabello in the chorus singing “asi es la vida.” This time around, Sheeran shows off his Spanish, singing full verses in Spanish.
Balvin and Sheeran teased their collaboration earlier this week in a joint Instagram post where they shared the story of how they met: at a gym in New York.
“It was just me and him very early in the morning. I recognized his voice when he was on the phone so I just went up and said hi. We chatted so long we ended up having lunch and then afternoon tea. Then just went to being mates who chatted nonstop,” Sheeran wrote.
He continued, “I was in New York at Christmas for shows so we decided to have one day in the studio that led to so so much more, which you’ll find out about soon. But the first two songs we wrote are ‘Sigue’ and ‘Forever My Love,’ and I absolutely love them. He wanted to bring me into his world, and I wanted to bring him into mine. Was a proper challenge learning Spanish for this and I had so much fun doing it.”
Meanwhile, Balvin said, “Everything good takes time. We had a coffee and spoke about life and there was a dope vibe. We bonded over simple things creating a genuine friendship – we even spoke about what it’s like to be a dad hehe.”
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.
Olivia Rodrigo is taking fans on a journey in the new concert film Driving Home 2 U. The Stacy-Lee directed film, in which Rodrigo treks from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and reflects on the creation of her debut solo album, premieres exclusively on Disney+ on Friday (March 25).
“I hope that people are inspired by the songwriting aspect of it,” Rodrigo recently told Billboard of what she wants viewers to take away from the film. “I always use creativity and songwriting as a means to get out of hard feelings and hard situations and help me get over them. So, I would love if people were inspired to create stuff given their sad feelings too. That would be really cool.”
Through never-before-seen footage from the making of sour, new live arrangements of her songs and intimate interviews, fans will ride shotgun while Rodrigo steers viewers through a cinematic trek exploring the making of her debut album.
How to Watch Driving Home 2 U for Free
In order to watch Driving Home 2 You, you must have a subscription to Disney+ ($7.99 a month, or $79.99 a year) or the Disney+ bundle ($13.99 a month).
Disney+ doesn’t have a free trial, but there are a few budget-conscious ways to save and at least one promo that will get you a free subscription for up to six months. One way to potentially save some cash would be to sign up for a monthly plan, simply because you can cancel at any time. A bundle deal is another money-saving option because it gives you access to three streaming platforms (Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+).
You can also save by joining Disney+ through a third party such as Verizon. For a limited time only, Verizon customers who sign on for select unlimited plans can get Disney+ or the Disney+ bundle for free for six months. This exclusive promo ends on May 31.
Content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic, can all be found on Disney+. Subscribers get to stream on up to four different devices (TV, smartphone, notebook, etc) simultaneously and download titles to watch offline and GroupWatch, which lets you host a virtual movie night with up to six friends or family members.
Users will find a huge selection of movies and TV series including other Disney+ originals such as Turning Red, The Prouder Family: Louder & Prouder, Hawkeye, WandaVision, The Mandalorian, Loki, The Book of Boba Fett, The Beatles Get Back, Welcome to Earth and episodes of The Simpsons.
Also streaming on Disney+, Encanto and other music-related Disney+ originals like Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever concert special, Beyoncé’s Black is King and Taylor Swift’s Folklore studio sessions.
German ticketer and concert promoter CTS Eventim generated revenue of 407.8 million euros ($449 million) in 2021 – half of which came from government COVID-19-related economic aid, the company announced Thursday (March 24). That was up 58.8% from 256.8 million euros ($283 million) in 2020 but less than one-third of its revenues of 1.44 billion euros ($1.54 billion) in 2019 and less than half of the 1 billion-plus euros it achieved in both 2017 and 2018.
Ticketing revenue of 224.1 million euros was 39.7% above 126.6 million euros in 2020 but less than half of pre-pandemic levels in 2018 (447.1 million euros, $492 million) and 2019 (481.6 million euros, $530 million). The segment’s revenues were helped by 112.2 million euros ($124 million) of COVID-19 economic aid from Germany and other governments. Ticketing’s normalized EBITDA was 177.1 million euros ($194 million), up from roughly 200 million euros in 2020. The number of tickets sold improved 84% to 32 million, up from 17.4 million in 2020.
CTS Eventim’s live music segment revenue of 191.1 million was up 39.7% from 136.8 million in 2020 but far below 2018 (812.5 million) and 2019 (985.8 million). The improvement was attributable to 80.8 million euros of COVID-19 economic aid compared to 19.2 million euros of aid received in 2020. The segment’s normalized EBITDA rose 49.4% to 30.9 million euros.
“Today, we look to the future with optimism. The number of events in our ticketing systems is growing day by day – clear evidence of rising optimism in the event industry,” CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg wrote in the annual report’s opening remarks.
CTS Eventim is increasingly looking for growth outside of Europe. In 2020, CTS Eventim founded EMC Presents, a joint venture with U.S. promoter Michael Cohl, who organized the company’s first U.S. tour by the group Genesis at the end of 2021. Also last year, it ticketed its first big U.S. client, the Big Apple Circus, which helped bring in 47.8 million euros in revenue in the U.S. during the year. CTS Eventim launched Eventim Live Asia in 2021, with a business headquartered in Singapore that will focus on Asian markets. It also acquired a majority stake in software and hardware developer simply-X and two German ticketing companies, Kölnticket and Bonnticket. It will debut a new arena in Milan, Italy in 2025 in time for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The company is cautious about its future, however. Despite the widespread availability of vaccines and loosening health policies, “it remains unclear to what extent live events will be permitted by the authorities in the future, and above all when major events can once again be held profitably,” the annual report reads. Germany, where CTS Eventim received over 46% of its 2021 revenue, is currently experiencing record numbers of daily COVID-19 infections. The company also sees “significant uncertainty concerning the effects of the Russia-Ukrainian war.”
2021 financial metrics
- Revenue: 407.8 million euros, up 58.8% y/y
- Ticketing revenue: 224.1 million euros, up 77.0% y/y
- Live revenue: 191.1 million euros, up 39.7% y/y
- Net income: 74.5 million euros, up 95.8 million euros y/y
Additional metrics
- Debt: 628.8 million euros, down from 641.5 million euros at Dec. 31, 2020
- Cash and cash equivalents: 289 million euros, down from 302.8 million euros at Dec. 31, 2020
After hinting of retirement at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Week and officially announcing the news on Sunday, March 20, Daddy Yankee has released what will be his final studio album Legendaddy.
The 19-track set is his first album in nearly 10 years, following King Daddy in 2013. The new album features Bad Bunny, Rauw Alejandro, Myke Towers, El Alfa, Lil Jon and Pitbull, plus an epic intro by renowned boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer. As for its influences, the legend offers a blend of pure reggaeton, heavy trap and experimental tracks, all while staying true to his essence — one that has endured over three decades. As he previously stated in a press release: “I’m going to give you all the styles that have defined me, in one single album.”
Though this is his first album in nine years, the Puerto Rican artist (born Raymond Ayala) opted to only include brand new music, not including previously-released bangers that arrived between 2014-2021, such as “Shaky Shaky,” “Dura,” “Problema,” and the Snow-assisted “Con Calma,” which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in 2019 and spent 14 weeks at the top.
Daddy Yankee, “Legendaddy”
To celebrate the release of Legendaddy, and bid farewell to the music industry, the King of Reggaeton will kick off his “La Ultima Vuelta” tour in the fall.
As for what the future holds post-retirement from music? Yankee told Billboard last year he is executive producing a reggaeton documentary, saying, “That’s where I see me growing – an executive producer of movies, documentaries.”
Unit then, check out the Billboard Latin editors eight essential Legendaddy tracks.
“X Ultima Vez” featuring Bad Bunny
This song unites the two musical styles of Bad Bunny and Yankee: old-school reggaeton beats with edgy urban sounds. The track starts off with “bubbly-feeling” piano notes that continue throughout the song and unite two of reggaeton’s favorite voices. Plus, Yankee makes sure to include his memorable phrase: “Dónde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan” (Where there were fire ashes remain).
“Zona del Perreo” featuring Natti Natasha & Becky G
Repeating a formula that’s worked with him in the past, DY taps Natti Natasha and Becky G once again for a collab. The pair had previously joined him for the chart-topping 2018 “Dura” remix. Their new song, “Zona del Perreo,” is equally as catchy with an irresistible reggaeton beat.
“Para Siempre” featuring Sech
With previous collabs such as “Sal y Perrea (Remix),” “Confia,” “Relacion (Remix)” and “Definitivamente,” Sech is already family, which is why it only made sense for him to feature on Yankee’s final album. “Para Siempre” is a romantic mid-tempo reggaeton that unites Sech’s smooth vocals with Yankee’s melodious rap verses for a love song that confesses to that special person: “I want you to be mine forever.”
“El Abusador del Abusador”
“El abusador, del abusador” is one of the more uplifting tracks on the album, combining trumpets and piano notes for a perfect salsa fusion with thumping beats. The lyrics tell the story of someone in charge, and how you can always be humble but to still know your worth.
“Agua” featuring Rauw Alejandro, Nile Rodgers
Without a doubt, “Agua” is one of the most surprising tracks on Legendaddy, taking Daddy Yankee completely out of his comfort zone. Reeling in Latin hitmaker Rauw Alejandro and renowned musician and artist Nile Rodgers, the track is an 80s-inspired dance hit featuring Rodgers’ emblematic funk riffs and Rauw’s sultry vocals. Towards the middle of the track, Yankee steps in over a catchy hip-hop beat. “Baby, you dancing in the water, it’s impossible to forget you,” they chant.
“Campeon”
This is the ultimate song for his mic drop for Yankee’s retirement. It may not be the quintessential DY reggaeton party track but in “Campeon,” he leaves the humility that’s characterized him for years behind and categorically says, “I’m the champion.” “I came from a place where there isn’t much and I became a machine,” he raps. “I promised no one would stop me. Undefeated until the end.”
“La Ola”
Like most tracks on the album, “La Ola” takes us back to old-school Daddy Yankee during his “Cangri” and “Gasolina” days. “La Ola” attests to that: an infectious perreo with hard-hitting lyrics made to take you to a marquesina party in Puerto Rico. Its flirtatious lyrics and repetitive “montate en la ola, ola, ola, ola, ola / que te veo sola, sola, sola, sola, sola” is an invitation to join the fun — especially if you’re alone.
“El Rey de lo Imperfecto”
“El Rey de lo Imperfecto” is a catchy urban-infused cumbia song and one of Yankee’s most rhythmic tunes on the album — think “Llamado de Emergencia, think “Lovumba.” “El Rey de lo Imperfecto” (King of the imperfect) tells the story of a man who’s not perfect and is promising to unconditionally love a person through her own insecurities and drama. He sings: “I want you to value everything for you / You are perfect for me.”
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