ANOTR’s “Talk to You,” featuring 54 Ultra, logs a third total and consecutive week at No. 1 on the WARM Global Dance Radio chart (dated April 25), drawing more than 900 plays (up 8% week over week) across 200-plus monitored stations worldwide April 10-16, according to WARM (World Airplay Radio Monitor).

Released March 6 via ANOTR’s own NO ART imprint, the song has built momentum on TikTok, where it has been featured in nearly 60,000 videos.

“Talk to You” has also become a hit across Billboard’s other U.S.-based charts, reaching No. 5 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs last month (and currently ranking at No. 11). In the latest tracking week, it drew 1.2 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

ANOTR is an Amsterdam-based electronic duo comprising Oguzhan Guney and Jesse van der Heijden.

Rounding out the top five of the WARM Global Dance Radio chart, Bebe Rexha and Faithless’ “New Religion” holds at its No. 2 high (up 3% in plays); Calvin Harris and Kasabian’s former four-week leader “Release the Pressure” is steady at No. 3; Milky X Mall Grab’s “Just the Way You Are” keeps at No. 4; and Gordo and Reiner Zonneveld’s “Loco Loco” rises 6-5.

The top debut on the chart is Anyma and Joji’s “Beautiful” at No. 34. Anyma also debuts at No. 70 with “Bad Angel,” with LISA. All three acts teamed up at the second weekend of Coachella.

The WARM Global Dance Radio chart debuted on Billboard.com in March, joining Billboard’s long-standing U.S.-based dance lists, including Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Dance/Pop Songs, Dance/Mix Show Airplay and Top Dance Albums. The 40-position Global Dance Radio chart (published in full as a 100-position ranking on WARM’s platform) aggregates plays from 200-plus dance-dedicated radio stations across more than 30 countries, reflecting songs trending globally through a network of programmers and radio gatekeepers operating across multiple territories.

Check out the top 40 of the WARM Global Dance Radio chart on Billboard.com and head over to warmmusic.net for the full 100-position survey.


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As Rihanna‘s longtime partner and father of her three children, A$AP Rocky knows better than anyone how the Fenty mogul has changed over the years — and how she hasn’t.

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In Ri’s new W Magazine cover issue published Tuesday (April 21), the rapper — along with several other famous names — shared his favorite tidbits about the singer and fashion mogul. Noting that he and Rih love watching documentaries and films together, sharing a particular passion for the 2007 Héctor Lavoe biopic El Cantante, Rocky said that “she has changed a lot” in the years since they first met, “because she became a mother in that time span.”

“That certainly changes you,” Rocky continued. “But this woman has always been magic. Philosophically, the way she operates is on another level. She is the most charming and genuine person on Earth. Her energy is unmatched —one of a kind. I just adore her.”

Ri and Rocky had been friends since the early 2010s, before their relationship turned romantic around 2020. In 2022, they became parents, welcoming baby boy RZA, followed by son Riot Rose the next year. Last September, the couple expanded into a family of five with the arrival of daughter Rocki, who adorably posed with her mom on the cover of W.

Other notable figures who contributed to the Rihanna love fest were Mariah Carey and SZA, both of whom also go way back with the Barbadian superstar. Mimi gushed that Ri, whom she met through “mutual friend Jay-Z,” is a “real girl’s girl” and looked back on the viral moment in 2024 when the “Umbrella” singer asked Carey to autograph her chest at a concert. “Mariah Carey is signing my t-t y’all,” Ri cheered at the time. “This s–t is f–king epic!”

“She brings such great energy!” the vocalist said of Rihanna. “The chest-signing moment was a li’l out of the ordinary, but I thought it was hilarious!”

One person who’d definitely agree that Ri is a “girl’s girl” is SZA, who shared one of her favorite memories of the icon. “We were about to perform at the Brit Awards in 2016,” the R&B hitmaker recalled. “I had no experience and definitely didn’t know where the hell I was or what this meant. It was suggested that I basically wear a curtain and disappear, and when I told her, she immediately said, ‘Hell, no! We need you to look hot!’ She made sure I got to pick whatever I wanted and looked cute.”

See Rihanna and Rocki on the cover of W below.


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Prince, aptly named, was music royalty, celebrated among his peers as a musician’s musician who combined gifts for songwriting, production, a mastery of instruments and a vocal and stage presence into a legendary catalog that spanned more than four decades.

The performer, born Prince Rogers Nelson, received his first share of national attention in the late 1970s via his self-titled debut album and lusty hits such as “Soft and Wet” and “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” the latter a No. 11 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. His popularity grew with subsequent releases Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982).

But he exploded into international stardom with 1984’s Purple Rain soundtrack from the Oscar- and Grammy-winning accompanying semi-autobiographical film in which he also starred. Purple Rain gave Prince his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, while its classic singles, “When Doves Cry” and “Let’s Go Crazy,” topped the Hot 100 and the title track reached No. 2. For his compositions on the film itself, Prince won an Academy Award for best original song score.

Elevated to a dual threat — a commercial superstar and a respected transformational creative force — Prince shaped popular music’s impact in the MTV era with his creations, stringing hits through the 1980s and early 1990s including Hot 100 champs “Kiss,” “Batdance” and “Cream,” and top-five successes including “Raspberry Beret” and “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” In the ensuing years, the scope of his catalog and contributions earned high honors from the music industry — a 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, a 2013 Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards and a headlining set of Super Bowl XLI’s halftime show, oft-touted among the best ever, among the highlights.

After nearly 40 years in the music industry, Prince died on April 21, 2016 at age 57 of an accidental fentanyl overdose. During his lifetime, the hitmaker claimed 47 Hot 100 hits, from “Soft and Wet” to 2006’s “Black Sweat.” Of them, 19 reached the top 10 with five capturing the top slot.

To review Prince’s chart career, here’s a look at his 40 biggest hits on the Hot 100.

Prince’s Biggest Billboard Hot 100 hits are based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 chart through April 18, 2026. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower ranks earning lesser values. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, certain eras are weighted to account for different chart turnover rates over various periods.


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Justin Bieber’s solo catalog experienced a massive streaming surge following his April 11 Coachella set, sending many of his classic hits back onto Billboard’s charts (dated April 25).

Bieber’s catalog raked in 160.2 million chart-contributing on-demand official U.S. streams in the April 10-16 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s a 172% increase from the previous week (April 3-9), when his catalog earned 58.8 million streams. (These figures include Bieber’s solo recordings and exclude tracks on which he’s a co-billed or featured artist, such as “Despacito,” “I’m the One” or “Cold Water.”)

Here’s a look at Bieber’s weekly on-demand U.S. streaming totals over the past nearly two months:

Feb. 27-March 5: 58.2 million
March 6-12: 56.7 million
March 13-19: 54.8 million
March 20-26: 55.7 million
March 27-April 2: 55.9 million
April 3-9: 58.8 million
April 10-16: 160.2 million

Across the six weeks leading up to his April 11 Coachella performance (ending April 9), Bieber averaged 56.7 million weekly streams per week. That figure nearly tripled in the week encompassing his set. Following his second performance April 18, his streaming totals during the April 17-23 tracking will be reflected on next week’s Billboard charts (dated May 2).

Those streaming gains result in Bieber charting four songs on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (reflecting activity April 10-16): “Yukon” jumps 20-13, reaching a new peak in its 40th week on the chart; “Daisies” re-enters at No. 18 after peaking at No. 2 last July; his 2012 hit “Beauty and a Beat,” featuring Nicki Minaj, re-enters at No. 26, marking its first chart appearance since its original chart run, when it peaked at No. 5; and his first top 10 hit, 2010’s “Baby,” featuring Ludacris, re-enters at No. 47, also marking its first placement since that year, when it likewise reached No. 5.

The songs making the biggest contribution to Bieber’s 160.2-million haul are “Daisies” (10.6 million, up 98% from the week before); “Beauty and a Beat” (10.3 million, up 317%); “Yukon” (9.4 million, up 71%); “Baby” (6.8 million, up 174%); and “Confident” (6.4 million, up 217%).

Bieber makes an even bigger impact globally, placing 17 songs on the Billboard Global 200, which measures activity in more than 200 territories (including the U.S.). Here’s a recap:

No. 4, “Beauty and a Beat,” feat. Nicki Minaj
No. 16, “Daisies”
No. 26, “Baby,” feat. Ludacris
No. 30, “Sorry”
No. 36, “Confident,” feat. Chance the Rapper
No. 43, “Love Yourself”
No. 45, “Yukon”
No. 54, “Eenie Meenie,” with Sean Kingston
No. 59, “Stay,” with The Kid LAROI
No. 63, “What Do You Mean?”
No. 68, “Let Me Love You” (DJ Snake feat. Bieber)
No. 94, “That Should Be Me”
No. 95, “Ghost”
No. 101, “Never Say Never,” feat. Jaden Smith
No. 133, “Favorite Girl”
No. 175, “Where Are Ü Now” (Skrillex & Diplo with Bieber)
No. 193, “Boyfriend”


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There may be no relationship between Peter Hook and New Order any longer, and substantial animosity between them. But that doesn’t mean the bassist is feeling any ambivalence about the band — and its predecessor, Joy Division — being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November in Los Angeles.

“Considering it’s been three (nominations), I was always hoping (induction) would happen,” Hook, 70, tells Billboard via Zoom from home in his native Manchester, England. “I’ve always believed in Joy Division, and I’ve always believed in New Order, and then all of a sudden to get this award … I think in the context of what we’ve achieved, it’s well-earned. And the music, I still love it. I’m still immensely proud of it — even prouder when it speaks to every generation, as I’m sure a lot of musicians feel.”

Hook adds that the induction “isn’t particularly for us. It’s … for the fans of both groups, and I’d like to think this is more about their belief in us and what we did than it is for us … I think it’s a vote of confidence from the fans for both bands, which is very aptly earned by them and shines on us as well.” He’s particularly happy for one fan, David Sultan, an airline pilot who put together a Joy Division/New Order exhibit for the Rock Hall in Cleveland and “was always adamant that we should be in there. This is talking 20 years ago — it’s been there that long and they actually asked him to make it bigger now that we’re in, which is wonderful for him.”

The Rock Hall honor comes 50 years after Hook saw the Sex Pistols perform at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, which inspired him to form a band of his own. Joy Division came together that same year and released two lauded albums — Unknown Pleasures in 1979 and Closer in 1980 — before ending when frontman Ian Curtis died by suicide on May 18, 1980, on the eve of Joy Division’s first U.S. tour. 

Hook is confident Curtis would enjoy the Rock Hall induction. “I think he would have loved it,” he says. “Ian enjoyed every single success we ever had, whether it was getting on a support gig for Siouxsie & the Banshees, whether it was getting a nip on Factory (Records). All those things were great celebrations. Ian is the one who used to sit us down whenever we were, shall I say, wearied — which is quite often in this bloody business — and would give us the pep talk, ‘We’re gonna be bigger than the Doors! We’re gonna be this, that! We’re gonna play in every country on the planet!’ To this day, every time (Hook and his band, The Light) get somewhere we haven’t played before, I always think, ‘This is for you, Ian.’ All he wanted to do was play our music, because he thought it was fantastic, and it was as simple as that.”

After Curtis’ death, Hook, Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris decided to continue as New Order, adding Morris’ wife, Gillan Gilbert. The group had even greater international success than Joy Division, but Hook left acrimoniously in 2007 and was angry that the band continued without him in 2011. He subsequently sued in 2015 over unpaid royalties and rights to the band name, reaching a “full and final” out-of-court settlement two years later that gave the others continued use of the band name while Hook and the Light also tour, often playing Joy Division and New Order albums in their entirety.

Consequently, Hook isn’t expecting any kissing and making up or playing nice together come Nov. 14. 

“What they did in 2011 was, frankly, disgusting, and I can’t forgive it … so I won’t be borrowing their ball, shall we say, for any kind of game,” explains Hook, who’s “speaking with” ceremony producers about performing at the event. “I still do think it’s a travesty they use the New Order name when they are not New Order. They haven’t said they’re going; I have no idea, to be honest. I am gonna go, definitely. I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’s a dreadful shame, it really is — especially when you get to our age, when you realize that road (ahead) is looking a lot bloody shorter than that road (behind), and you should show it respect. We’ve just been acting like petulant, spoiled children which, sadly, has diminished the way that people look at you, I think,” he adds.

New Order has not responded to requests for comment on the Rock Hall induction since it was announced last week. 

Hook will be busy in front of the induction ceremony. The Light will be touring in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand this year, with several festival appearances. And on June 4 he’ll be commemorating the 50th anniversary of that life-changing Sex Pistols show with a special performance in Manchester, a “Peter Hook’s greatest hits” night that will also include music he made with his other bands such as Revenge, Monaco, Freebass and others. 

He’s hoping any Rock Hall performance will include the Light, which he calls “my backbone” and includes his son, Jack Bates. Bates is also part of the current touring lineup of Smashing Pumpkins, which coincidentally is playing that same day at the Darker Waves festival in Huntington Beach, Calif.  He’s also looking forward to joining Oasis at the ceremony, as he’s known Noel and Liam Gallagher for years and, in fact, their first concert under the Oasis name was an opening date with Revenge.  “They’re self-confessed Joy Division/New Order fans, the Hacienda, Madchester, the whole of it,” Hook notes. “It’s absolutely delightful to be a big part of their life like that. You never know; I might be in Oasis that night (of the induction).

“I suppose the greatest thing is I’m still here and I still enjoy it and I’m still able to enjoy it with a lot of people,” Hook continues. “That means more than anything, because without them I’d be nothing. We wouldn’t have this award without these people. I wouldn’t have a career. I wouldn’t have my vocation. So I’m proud of them all. To play Joy Division in Mexico, whereas Joy Division never got anywhere apart from Europe, those moments are amazing. And to see how young the audience is and how they know every word, oh, man, it’s a humbling experience.”

In addition to Joy Division/New Order, this year’s Rock Hall class includes: Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. The 2026 induction ceremony will take place Nov. 14 in Los Angeles and air on ABC and Disney+ in December.


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A federal judge is refusing to grant Megan Thee Stallion a cyberstalking injunction against celebrity gossip blogger Milagro Gramz, ruling that it would unfairly infringe her First Amendment rights.

Megan won $59,000 in damages at a November jury trial in her lawsuit against Gramz, who she had accused of defaming her while serving as a “mouthpiece” for Tory Lanez after the singer was convicted in 2022 of shooting Megan in 2020.

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But in a ruling on Monday (April 20) obtained by Billboard, Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga refused to go beyond that verdict and issue a permanent injunction barring Gramz from a wide range of future conduct. The judge said “vulgar” and “insulting” statements were not enough for a court order banning speech.

“As tempting as it might be to force some civility into the matter by staunching defendant’s speech against plaintiff through an injunction, doing so would ignore the protections of the First Amendment,” the judge wrote, quoting from earlier cases. “Plaintiff’s proposed permanent injunction directed at defendant’s future speech is overbroad and a classic example of a prior restraint on speech that triggers First Amendment concerns.”

Reps for Megan did not immediately return a request for comment.

Lanez (Daystar Peterson) was convicted in December 2022 on three felony counts over the 2020 shooting, in which he shot Megan in the foot during an argument following a pool party at Kylie Jenner’s house in the Hollywood Hills. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in August 2023, and his convictions were upheld on appeal in November.

In a 2024 civil lawsuit, Megan’s attorneys accused Gramz of repeatedly spreading falsehoods about that criminal case, including questioning whether Megan was even shot at all. The lawsuit claimed the blogger made those claims because she was serving as a “puppet” for Lanez as the singer sat behind bars.

Megan herself took the witness stand at a November trial, testifying that Gramz’s posts and the online backlash that followed them had caused her severe mental stress. “There was a time that I genuinely didn’t care if I lived or died,” Megan told the jury.

Jurors eventually sided with Megan, finding that Gramz had defamed her, intentionally inflicted emotional distress and had reposted an illegal pornographic deepfake of the rapper. But they awarded only $75,000 in damages, a figure that was later reduced by the judge to $59,000.

After the trial, Megan sought an injunction that would have forbidden Gramz from making defamatory statements about Megan’s “mental and emotional state,” or from any claims “intended to incite third parties to engage in threats or violence.” Her lawyers argued that Gramz had continued to harass the star online even after the verdict and must be stopped.

But in her ruling on Monday, Judge Altonaga said Gramz’s statements after the trial “does not satisfy the definition of cyberstalking” and that a permanent gag order was not something that would pass muster under the constitution.

“The First Amendment prohibits almost all restraints on future speech,” the judge wrote. “Plaintiff has certainly accused defendant of creating offensive, vulgar, and insulting posts,” but such conduct alone does not justify imposing an overbroad injunction directed at defendant’s future speech.”


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Even in her more subdued moments, there’s always been something deliciously theatrical about Jessie Ware. Superbloom, the singer-songwriter’s sixth studio album, sparkles with the mischief and confidence of an artist fuelled on years of enthusiastic pop star study: its ballads are draped in velvet and low light; its airy disco cuts pulse like a Balearic beach party; there’s even a steam-thick, candlelit sauna fantasy – think Bette Midler at the baths in full cabaret mode.

The London singer’s stunning second act has been shaped by her predominantly queer fandom, whose appetite for glamour has found a perfect mirror in Ware’s increasingly liberated sound. A career-redefining response to 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure? kicked off the 41-year-old’s current trajectory, which saw her secure her first Mercury Prize nomination in nearly a decade, and expand her live profile with a Harry Styles support slot run and a slew of key festival slots across Glastonbury, Mighty Hoopla and Primavera Sound.

With the release of Superbloom, the stakes are only set to get higher. 14 years on from her debut LP Devotion – an era first teased its author’s command of dance music, via collaborations with Disclosure and SBTRKT – Ware will play London’s O2, The Hydro in Glasgow and Manchester’s Co-op Live at the end of 2026, marking her first-ever arena headline shows. For an artist like Ware, who has gradually reinvented herself into a modern pop torchbearer, these bookings speak to a journey that has steadily gathered force and confidence.

“The energy is going to be amazing,” says Ware, speaking to Billboard U.K. over the phone about her forthcoming tour. “I’m trying to enjoy these moments and not be scared by them. It’s taken me nearly 15 years to get to The O2, but I wouldn’t change that for the world. I’m definitely going to revel in that night, for sure, because it’s taken a lot of hard work and some highs and lows to get there.”

The newer material feels primed for her biggest stages yet: Ware adopts the alter-ego of ‘Shirley Bloom’ on standout “Don’t You Know Who I Am,” her voice expanding heavenwards, soulful and melismatic. “Ride,” meanwhile, pairs the disco-house futurism of Beyonce’s Renaissance with the country reimagining of follow-up Cowboy Carter, giving The Good, The Bad and The Ugly theme new life, while “I Could Get Used To This” exudes “Venus energy” with its luxurious, shimmering synths. Taken together, the tracks unveil a series of high-drama personas, unified by an overarching theme of reinventing oneself.

Here, Ware tells Billboard U.K. about the next chapter in her artistry, from her “major” plans to bring Superbloom to the stage to what it means to be truly stepping into her power.

Superbloom is your sixth studio album. Do you tend to go into the making of a record with a sense of what you want the record to be, or does that reveal itself as things unfold?

For the last couple of records, I have gone into the studio with this very strong sense of what I wanted it to be. Then this time – which kind of threw me – the record that I thought I was making was going to be this kind of big, banging dance thing, but it just wasn’t coming. I think it took experience and confidence to be able to go, “You know what, I thought this was the record, but this isn’t meant to be. Let’s see what’s really resonating.”

I needed to live my life a bit, and I wanted to enjoy exploring and expressing that. Once I had the song “Automatic,” which has this beautiful, relaxed groove and an electronic sample but it also felt soulful – it felt like the perfect marrying of the two kinds of worlds that I wanted to make. I learned about patience and trusting my gut with this album. There was a fork in the road moment where I thought I could do this kind of hyper, pop-dance record and it just didn’t sit completely right with me – so I went the other way. I’m really proud of the results.

What’s something new you allowed yourself to do on this record as you fully stepped into that confidence?

I think what’s been an eye-opening thing for me is having footage of me in the studio and seeing how, I mean one could say “boss’”.. I’d like to say lead! I realized that I go 500 miles an hour in the studio. But bless my gorgeous producers, who have such patience and allow my mind to dart off into all different places, and manage to still bring all that together and all my ideas. When looking back at the footage, I was like, “Oh wow, I don’t stop. I’m actually quite exhausting.” And thank God these people suffered me…

On your last headline tour, you performed an electrifying cover of Cher’s “Believe.” What’s the next diva anthem you’d like to tackle?

God, “Believe” was just such a great one to do! I think there’s plenty of scope to get another cover on the setlist. I don’t know, I think I may put it to the fans and see what they fancy me singing. To be honest, that could be quite fun, and see if there’s a general consensus. I haven’t really thought about a cover yet, but I’m sure I will because I think “Believe” stays in that zone; she belongs to the [2023] That! Feels Good! era, for sure.

How does the shared, communal energy of your live performances feed back into the songwriting across Superbloom?

My relationship with my fans is fabulous. They have just given me this incredible confidence to go for it – vocally, creatively, lyrically – and they egg me on to always push myself further. I love that they’ve made me the artist that I am, and that I keep on trying to be. They’re always in my thoughts.

When I was writing this record, I wanted something that could satisfy the people that love shouting out [older, high-octane] songs like “Shake the Bottle” to me. But I also wanted to give the fans a ballad, because I had shied away from ballads for a while, and I could see the impact of when I’d play “Say You Love Me” with just a piano. Ballads were part of my artist DNA when I first started. 

On the flip side, what’s the most constructive criticism you’ve received from fans? Can they be harsh critics too?

I did go through my DM requests the other day, and I don’t usually look at those on Instagram – I just never know what’s going to be in there! One fan was very angry that I wasn’t remaking What’s Your Pleasure?. And I thought, “OK, well sorry, mate, that’s a record that exists, but I want to keep on pushing myself.” People get very emotionally tied to particular records, and then they want an artist to make the same thing again and again. I want to keep on switching it up.

To be honest, my fans are very, very good to me. If anything, they just want more! I want to give them more by doing these mini acoustic shows. We didn’t have loads of time to rehearse, so my lovely pianist, Mike, learned six songs. You know, everyone thinks [these shows are like] bloody Justin Bieber’s Coachella set, and that I can take requests. And I was like, “I wish I could sing any of my songs to you, but bless, Mike doesn’t know them!”

We had a good giggle, and it made me think about how I can satisfy the audiences that have been here from the start, the ones that want deep cuts. I saw Pet Shop Boys do this amazing gig last week where they only performed B-sides. I just think that is a legacy. That’s an act listening to their fans and wanting to respect them, and I hope I get to the point where I can just be like, “Oh, do you want a whole piano show, or do you want a whole ballad show, or do you want a whole B-side show?” I’d love to do that s–t!

You have worked in lots of different mediums – from podcasting to memoir writing – but always come back to pop music as your primary means of expression. What makes it such a powerful medium for you?

The beauty of pop music is that it allows you to connect with so many people. There’s a beautiful kind of universality about pop – I’m talking like Prince, Annie Lennox, or Madonna, – that feels like it’s for everyone and anyone. In a world that is so challenging, pop can provide a beautiful escape. You look at the pop girls right now and what they’re doing, whether it be Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan or Addison Rae, and they’re all doing their own thing. But between them all, there’s this shared delight in the performance. I’m really here for it! 

But I mean, the one who does it the best is Lady Gaga. Whilst I don’t think I’ve got the numbers or the budget yet to put on a Gaga show, when you strip all of that [production] stuff back, Gaga could be there just singing at the piano and it would still be incredible. She’s absolutely beyond talented. I love how she creates an occasion, but also has this deep connection with her fans. I think she’s remarkable. I loved the Mayhem Ball. I thought it was beautiful. I thought Sabrina’s show was so fun too, because I’m a sucker for musical theatre and campness.

What else has inspired you recently in the realm of pop?

I think Naomi Scott’s album [F.I.G] has been really exciting, a great record. She’s taken her time with it and I think it feels incredibly unique to Naomi, but I hear all the references too. I’m really happy for her. My kids really like Pale Jay, so we listen to a lot of him. James Blake’s new record, Trying Times, is absolutely stunning – I think it’s some of his best work, I absolutely love it. And I think Rose Gray is really cool too!

How do you envision bringing the ethereal, expansive world of Superbloom to the stage?

When it comes to my next show, all I’m thinking about is the production. I’m already speaking with my creative director. It’s like, “Do I invite everyone to come in togas or cowboy hats, or both?” I think there’s definitely going to be this secret garden world on stage, bringing out all these beautiful themes of the record whilst also being able to incorporate the older music with that too. It will be my biggest show yet.

I’m playing some of the biggest venues I’ve ever played: The O2 [London], Co-op Live [Manchester], Radio City Music Hall [New York], the Greek Theatre [Los Angeles]. For me, this is a huge deal. These shows are something to be celebrated, but I also want to acknowledge the spaces and think, ‘How do we create the same kind of show in Radio City Music Hall, which is a beautiful theatre, that still makes sense at The O2?’. I’m really excited about that challenge.


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Gloria Trevi, one of Latin music’s most iconic, controversial, and influential figures, will be honored with the Music Trajectory award at Billboard’s 2026 Latin Women in Music ceremony. Known for her diva-meets-punk attitude and larger-than-life stage presence, Trevi has captivated audiences for nearly four decades with her fearless, unrestrained artistry. From the rebellious stomp of “Pelo Suelto” to vulnerable ballads like “El Favor de la Soledad,” her music brims with raw honesty, sharp social commentary and unapologetic intensity. Her signature vocal rasp and “sin pelos en la lengua” mindset — as noted by artist Chiquis Rivera — have cemented Trevi’s status as a singular force in Latin music.

With three top 10 hits on Hot Latin Songs (“Cinco Minutos,” “Con Los Ojos Cerrados,” “Me Siento Tan Sola”) and countless other milestones, the Mexican superstar’s legacy extends far beyond the charts. A master of reinvention, Trevi has fearlessly navigated personal and professional hurdles, consistently rewriting the rules while amplifying themes of empowerment and resilience.

Chiquis — honored with the Impact Award at last year’s Latin Women in Music and host of the 2026 gala — reflects on the influence of her colleague and close friend.

Watch Billboard’s Mujeres Latinas en la Música live April 23, beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Telemundo, and stream live on Peacock and the Telemundo app. Watch Billboard’s red carpet livestream on the Billboard.com and the Billboard Latin YouTube channel. For more coverage on Latin Women In Music click here.

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My first introduction to Gloria Trevi as an artist was with “Pelo Suelto” (1991) where I was like, “This woman is awesome.” Then I got to know more about her with “La Papa Sin Catsup” (1994) because my mom (Jenni Rivera) covered that song [in 2003]. That’s when the relationship between her and my mom started developing because that’s when Gloria was incarcerated (2000-2004). Gloria was very grateful that my mom did that. My mom was a fan. They became really good friends.

Gloria presented my mom’s [posthumous] Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 2024. We asked her to speak because my mom didn’t have many friends in the industry, she had acquaintances. She really considered Gloria a friend. Gloria has been so great with us since the day my mom passed.

I know they would talk all the time, and if they were in the same city, they would see each other. If my mom went to McAllen [where Gloria is based], she would go to their house — she was also very good friends with Armando, Gloria’s husband. When my mom needed advice, she would talk to Gloria and vice versa. They had a very beautiful bond.

Gloria and Armando were some of the first people to call us when my mom passed away (in a plane crash in 2012). She said, “Whatever you guys need, I am here. See me like a second mother, like a friend, like a sister.” I’ll never forget that. When Johnny, my brother, was about 11, she felt responsible for looking after us. Johnny and her eldest son are very close.

A few years later, at an award show, I asked Gloria’s permission to sing “Pelo Suelto,” and she said, “Oh my God, absolutely.” And we got to perform it together! To this day, that is one of my favorite performances. I’ll never forget that Gloria said to me backstage, “You got this! I’m not going to shrink myself for you because I would be doing a disservice to you.” I was like, “Wow, I’m going to step it up because I’m with freaking Gloria Trevi!” It was such an amazing experience.

There’s another [anecdote] with my song “La Malquerida,” [which] was actually her song. She told me, “I wrote this for a telenovela, but I want you to have it. Take it, record it.” It was a single [from 2025] that did pretty well.

She’s invited me to her house to have dinner, and whenever she’s in LA we try to see each other.

I love that Gloria has a very distinct voice. It didn’t matter where you heard her, you knew that’s Gloria. She’s always been very outspoken in her music. She speaks about real things and sings things about female empowerment, like in “Cinco Minutos.” No tiene pelos en la lengua (she doesn’t mince words), and I love that about her. She writes her own music. She pays attention to every detail in her show. I’ve seen her draw out what she wants on stage, what she wants her costumes to look like. When she goes up on stage, she’s a completely different person. And when you speak to her offstage, she’s very soft-spoken and gentle.

She says that’s where she’s the happiest, that she gets to play and be herself [on stage]. I asked her, “How do you jump and do all these splits?” She’s like, “I feel something takes over me. I’m so happy and I don’t feel anything. It’s not until I get off stage that I’m like, ‘Okay, my back hurts.’ ”

She loves what she does and she’s so passionate about it. Her whole life is about her music and her career, and she’s super involved in every aspect. To me as an artist, that’s a beautiful thing because I’ve learned from her. In the beginning of my career, I wasn’t like [I am today]. We had a few conversations, and she gave me a little kick. She became my music mentor.

She said, “As your [second] mother on this earth — because I know what your mom would have wanted — I’ll be there to guide you through any questions you have.” And she did. She helped me a lot, especially in the third and fourth years of my career. I think she did it out of the love she had for my mom and the love she began to feel for me.

But I also know what she’s been through and how hard it’s been for her. She helped me so much and told me, “Just as your mom helped me, I’m going to help you.” It was like paying it forward. Gloria has a big place in my heart.

Warner Records artists Josh Groban and Teddy Swims will perform at the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame Gala in tribute to the label, which is this year’s recipient of the Visionary of Music Award. The Gala, presented jointly by the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum, will be held on Friday, May 8 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.

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Groban, 45, has had three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200: Closer (2004), Noel (2007) and All That Echoes (2017). Swims, 33, has had one No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, “Lose Control,” which was Billboard’s year-end No. 1 song for 2024. The blue-eyed soul smash also holds records for most weeks in the top 10 on the Hot 100 (80) and most weeks on the chart overall (112). Both Groban and Swims are past Grammy nominees, with five and two nominations, respectively.

“Artist development has always been at the heart of Warner Records and remains our greatest strength,” Aaron Bay-Schuck and Tom Corson, co-chairmen of Warner Records, said in a joint statement. “Everything we do begins with a deep commitment to supporting artists, building careers over time, and giving creative voices the freedom and foundation for long term success. We’re grateful to the Recording Academy and the Grammy Museum to be recognized in this way. It’s a meaningful honor for our entire team and a reflection of the extraordinary artists and recordings that define Warner Records.”

“For more than 60 years, Warner Records has been a trailblazing force in the industry, nurturing and elevating some of music’s most influential acts,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “I’ve long admired their unwavering commitment to championing artists and creative excellence, as well as their ability to evolve with the industry while continuing to shape its future. Warner is more than deserving of this honor.”

“Warner Records has been home to generations of artists whose music has left a lasting mark on audiences around the world,” said Michael Sticka, president and CEO of the Grammy Museum. “The label is a fitting recipient of the Visionary of Music award for its long history of supporting great artistry and helping bring influential recordings into the cultural canon.”

Republic Records was the label honoree at the 2025 Grammy Hall of Fame gala, with label artists John Mellencamp and Conan Gray performing. Atlantic Records was the label honoree at the 2024 gala, with Shinedown performing in tribute to Led Zeppelin, Ravyn Lenae honoring Roberta Flack and non-Atlantic artist The War and Treaty honoring Ray Charles.

Previously announced performers for the 2026 gala include Funkadelic founder George Clinton, Heart’s founding members, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Americana and contemporary folk star Lucinda Williams, and a cappella gospel sextet Take 6. As previously announced, singer, songwriter and pianist Norah Jones will also perform and be presented with the Ray Charles Architect of Sound Award. Clinton and the Wilson sisters have received lifetime achievement awards from the Recording Academy, while Williams, Take 6 and Jones have won a combined 21 Grammy Awards.

Each performance will pay tribute to one of this year’s Grammy Hall of Fame inductees. More performers and details will be announced soon.

The Gala will celebrate the 2026 Grammy Hall of Fame-inducted recordings, a group of 14 titles spanning nearly a century of recorded music. Broadcast journalist Anthony Mason is returning as host. The show will be produced by former Grammy Awards executive producer Ken Ehrlich alongside Renato Basile, Chantel Sausedo, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Lynne Sheridan. Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner Cheche Alara will serve as music director.

Tickets for the Grammy Hall of Fame Gala are on sale now. For more information, visit the Grammy Museum site.


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Lisa Alter and the nearly all-woman legal team at the firm she helped found, Alter Kendrick & Baron, is a sought-after transactions team that advises on headline-grabbing catalog deals for Primary Wave, BMG and Iconic Artists Management. But her more than three-decade legal career working on deals from the partial sale of The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate to Influence Media Partners’ securitization almost never happened.

“I wanted to do any kind of law other than music,” says Alter, the daughter of an entertainment lawyer whose clients included the Screen Actors Guild. The native New Yorker spent her high school years assisting her father in negotiations between the union and film/TV producers, and recalls his calm demeanor during such conversations: “They got louder; he got quieter, but stronger, and they had to listen.”

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In contrast, Alter says she felt like most music lawyers when she was starting out in the 1980s lacked those qualities, and that their drafting, record-keeping and due diligence were “abysmal.”

“Many of the music lawyers then were glorified managers: great dealmakers, a little loosey-goosey with the law part,” Alter recalls. In 1990, less than 10 years after she graduated from New York University School of Law, Alter began working as general counsel at the Rodgers & Hammerstein organization and fell in love with the intersection of copyright law, corporate law and music.

She worked closely with the estates of Rodgers & Hammerstein, the Gershwins and several other icons of the Great American Songbook, all while the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, which extended the life of U.S. copyrights by 20 years, was taking shape. She found that heirs of these estates approached her for help on how to navigate the new law, and that ultimately led Alter to launch her own private practice in the late ’90s.

“By 2006, we were getting approached by companies that were buying older copyrights for copyright risk assessment on their transactions,” Alter says. That was the beginning of what would become a central part of her business: working with large independent publishing clients and songwriters on catalog transactions, one of the hottest sectors of the music market today.

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“Whether I’m on the buy side or the sell side or helping someone figure out what it is that they inherited, it really comes down to being able to do the forensic work,” Alter says. “Where the risks are, how we can mitigate them and how we should draft things.”

Tell me about the makeup of your firm today.

With the exception of [partner] Jim Kendrick, it’s all female. I did not plan to have a predominantly female firm. I think women came to me in the early years because they were looking for a mentor, and I love teaching [as a visiting professor at Yale Law School]. But at the end of the day, it really came down to the quality of their work. There’s myself, Katie Baron and Joyce Sydnee Dollinger, who are partners along with Jim; we have three associates [with a fourth beginning shortly] and [three] paralegals.

There has been a concerted effort at the federal level and in some states to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and that has had a residual effect with certain private companies discreetly doing away their own DEI initiatives. Do you think that women today face a steeper climb to success without those initiatives in place?

Absolutely. It’s something we need to watch carefully at the big law level. Even when I went to law school, it was 50-50. Why are there still fewer women partners in almost every large firm? I don’t think that we have a single client that hired us because we’re women. I think they hire us because we do a great job and because we care.

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Over recent years, there has been a lot of consolidation among independent music companies — from UMG buying Downtown to Concord buying Ninja Tune and Stem to Primary Wave’s proposed acquisition of Kobalt. Do you see this creating opportunity?

There is more money coming in, and with that [comes] opportunity. I think the more players with a background in music that get involved in the space, the better. There are funds that are quite active, that have people with music backgrounds. I think having expertise and sensitivity in this area makes it better. Because, [for the sellers and creators] even if you sell to get the highest dollar and that is all you want, it’s still your creation, and it still may bother you down the road when something you didn’t foresee happens with your song or recording. And you’re going to want someone who understands.

As you said, so much capital is flowing into this space. What is fueling this activity, and will the landscape for music look dramatically different a few years from now?

The investment community finally started appreciating that music holds value. Not all music, but a lot of music holds value. I would never invest money just because something has been streaming off the charts for a year, but people do. I also would never encourage someone who’s too new in the industry to sell necessarily now, because, I mean, it’s a gamble which way their career is going to go.

Have you seen legal issues crop up because of the increased investor interest in music catalogs?

That’s a hot button topic. Mostly our clients are independent music publishers, large, but not the majors. With this whole wave of new buyers and the explosion in the catalog sale market, I think there’s some consternation on the part of the majors. Often they’re not the highest bidder, and so they’re annoyed. So what are they doing? They’re trying to put a monkey wrench in the sale by making it difficult to implement that transfer of paid party. A few of them have started to say that artists need to waive any approval rights [they] have under the agreement, such as certain kinds of usages of their music that they’d be upset about, or certain kinds of changes to the lyrics or music. Just because the artist or songwriter sells their rights doesn’t mean that they don’t care about what’s done with their music.

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What kinds of approval rights can an artist have for how their songs are used after they sell a catalog, and what’s the feminine hygiene controversy?

When you sell everything, traditionally, you can’t retain any approval rights. But there are a handful of basic ones you can, [such as if your songs are used in ads for] politics, guns, alcohol, tobacco, NC-17 films and feminine hygiene. I’ve always rebelled against the feminine hygiene [approval rights]. Years ago, I represented a female songwriter selling a catalog, and [the buyer] was willing to give her those approval rights. I said, “That is just sexist, and we’re going to change it to intimate personal hygiene.” If you’re willing to give her approval over Tampax ads, you have to give her approval over Viagra [ads], too. People have come to me with some amorphous language over the years, like personal hygiene. Personal hygiene doesn’t work. I don’t want to have to go to you if I’m going to do a soap commercial.

What other obstacles have you seen publishers raise related to letters of direction?

One major on the publishing side requires you to pay $10,000 to implement a letter of direction.

Where is this heading?

At some point they may pick on the wrong artist who might sue them. No one wants to start a deal by having to litigate. So, in most cases confidential deals are being made.

Do you think multiples on catalog deals can go much higher?

At some point they just can’t. They’ve sort of leveled off for all but the most extraordinarily coveted catalogs. When I first started doing this, a multiple 12 [times net publisher’s share] was considered good. But there are often structured deals [that for example include] a purchase price plus some kind of [bonus].

Have you ever had an unhappy customer?

I basically have never had that happen, but I’ve heard of it, and I’ve seen it. We’re mostly on the buy side, but when we’re involved on the sell side, I ask more than once, “Are you sure? If your song is in a Super Bowl commercial in a year or two that generated some enormous sync license fee that you never got, are you sure you’re okay with this [deal]?” I started my career doing termination work helping estates get their rights back.


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