So you screwed up. It happens to the best of us, even Justin Bieber, Adele and John Lennon, all who have come out with stellar tunes about saying “sorry.” No matter what bad blood you’re dealing with, here are 22 of the best apology songs out there to help make amends, along with a few for when you’re — as Demi Lovato would say — “Sorry Not Sorry.”
South by Southwest takes over Austin, Texas, every year, intertwining film, music and interactive media — but how did it become one of the arts’ biggest festivals?
The inaugural SXSW took place in 1987 as an extension of an already-existing New York City festival. When those plans fell through, Ronald Swenson of the Austin Chronicle — who is now the CEO of SXSW — decided to co-organize it as a local music festival.
SXSW has 15 tracks of programming in various formats, including summits, keynotes, panels, workshops, podcasts and more. “It would be like if every creative person in the world went on spring break together in Austin, Texas,” Brian Hobbs, SXSW programming manager, tells Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly.
With inspiring speakers, major film screenings and headline-making performances, SXSW has stood the test of time, bringing all-stars from every creative genre together.
For the 2022 edition, which will take place from March 11 to 20, Billboard is teaming up with Samsung Galaxy to bring the Samsung + Billboard Present The Stage at SXSW event. The show will take place March 17-19 and will feature three consecutive evenings of headliners at the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park. Among the performers are Gunna, Young Thug, Kygo, Frank Walker, Forester, Shawn Mendes and Sebastian Yatra.
Watch the latest episode of Billboard Explains above to learn more about everything SXSW.
After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.
PMC is the largest shareholder of SXSW and its brands are official media partners of SXSW.
Rapper and actor Killer Mike has sold his entire song catalog to Reservoir Media and signed a go-forward publishing deal with the company. The agreement gives the independent publisher considerable say over the discography of Run the Jewels, the rap duo comprised of Killer Mike and EL-P, who have released such hit tracks as “Legend Has It,” “Close Your Eyes” and “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1.”
Born and raised in Atlanta, Killer Mike has dropped four landmark albums with Run the Jewels over the course of his career, as well as six solo projects dating back to his 2003 debut record Monster, released via Columbia Records. He’s also renowned for his collaborations with other hip-hop heavyweights including Jay-Z, Outkast, T.I. and Big Boi.
As an actor, Killer Mike has had roles in films such as Baby Driver, Idlewild and ATL. He is also the host of the Netflix series Trigger Warning With Killer Mike, Facebook’s Roll’N With Killer Mike and PBS’ Love & Respect With Killer Mike. His powerful speech following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis police officers in 2020, helped cement his position as a leader in the fight for civil rights, both in his local community and around the world. Later that year, he was honored with Billboard’s inaugural Change Maker Award.
In a statement about the new deal, Killer Mike said, “A great publisher is a major key to success, and I’m excited to embark on this phase of my career with the dynamic team at Reservoir.”
Faith Newman, executive vp of A&R and catalog development at Reservoir, added, “Killer Mike has been a fixture of hip-hop for decades now, and both his past successes and upcoming music continue to push boundaries and address deeply meaningful topics. Artists and visionaries of his caliber do not come around often, and we are grateful to be the publishing home for such a trailblazing creator.”
Make a wish, because Selena Gomez is putting a Latinx spin on the John Hughes classic Sixteen Candles.
Together with collaborators Tanya Saracho and Gabriela Revilla Lugo, the pop star is developing a new half-hour sitcom titled 15 Candles, which will take a page from the 1984 coming-of-age movie starring Molly Ringwald.
According to Variety, the comedy series “will follow four young Latinas in high school, navigating feelings of invisibility while exploring what it means to leave childhood behind as quinceañera season approaches.” Gomez will serve as executive producer on the project, which is headed to NBC streamer Peacock, while Saracho and Lugo are both expected to write and executive produce.
The Latinx-inspired take on Sixteen Candles is hardly Gomez’s first foray into television production. From 2017 to 2020, the starlet executive produced the Netflix adaptation of 13 Reasons Why, and she’s currently pulling double duty as star and executive producer of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. (For her role as Mabel Mora, Gomez also received a Critics’ Choice Awards nomination for best actress in a comedy series.
The budding beauty mogul also used her appearance at Sunday’s awards show to get glam using Rare Beauty, the popular cosmetics line she launched in September 2020.
During this awards season, Gomez also served as a presenter at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards, wearing an elegant black velvet gown by Oscar de la Renta and Bulgari diamonds. She ditched her shoes, however, after taking a tumble on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.
Wisin & Yandel secure their 15th No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart as “Recordar” rallies 13-1 on the March 19-dated survey. It’s the second-biggest jump to lead the all-Latin genre tally in 2022 so far after another song where Wisin is also a collaborator: “Emojis de Corazones” (Wisin, Jhay Cortez, Ozuna, featuring Los Legendarios) rose 11-1 on the Jan. 8-dated list.
“Recordar” was released Dec. 2 via Sony Music Latin/WK. It leads with a 56% increase in audience impressions, to 8.8 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 13, according to MRC Data. It’s the biggest gain of the week in terms of audience, a 31% improvement to be exact, ahead of Banda Los Sebastianes de Saul Plata’s “Modo Incógnito,” which lifts 41-24 with a 25% surge, the week’s second-greatest gain.
The track’s leading stations, by audience, for the week tallied up over 2 million in audience between them, both in New York: WSKQ (1.56 million impressions) and WXNY (643,000).
“Recordar” puts the duo back the upper reaches of Latin Airplay after over two years: “Si Supieras,” with Daddy Yankee, led for one week in Oct. 2019. In between, they’ve placed three other tracks including one top 10 (“Mala Costumbre,” with Manuel Turizo, No. 9-peaked in April 2021).
Of the 10 songs that hit No. 1 on Latin Airplay for the first time on the 2022-dated charts, six of them — including “Recordar” — jumped to No. 1 from outside the top five (with four of those coming from Sony Music Latin).
Rankings to No. 1, Song Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1
13-1, “Recordar,” Wisin & Yandel, March 19 (Sony Music Latin/WK)
11-1, “Emojis de Corazones,” Wisin, Jhay Cortez & Ozuna Featuring Los Legendarios, Jan. 8 (La Base/Sony Music Latin)
9-1, “Mala,” Marc Anthony, March 12 (Sony Music Latin)
8-1, “Una Nota,” J Balvin & Sech, Jan. 1 (Suenos Globales/Universal Music Latino/UMLE)
7-1, “Cúrame,” Rauw Alejandro, March 5 (Duars/Sony Music Latin)
6-1, “Sejodioto,” Karol G, Feb. 12 (Universal Music Latino/UMLE)
While “Recordar” is the pair’s first entry in 2022, it’s Wisin’s third visit. As previously mentioned, he ruled with the one-week champ “Emojis de Corazones” in Jan. and debuts at No. 43 on the current list with “Buenos Días,” with Camilo.
Over on the all-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, thanks its airplay surge, the pair captures its highest debut since “Aullando,” with Romeo Santos arrived at No. 19 in March 2019. The tally blends airplay, streams, and digital sales.
“Recordar’s” win lands following Wisin & Yandel’s upcoming tour announcement: La Última Misión tour will see the duo one last time together on stage to commemorate their 19-year career and their forthcoming eponymous album.
