Chlöe chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
Swae Lee chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
T.I. chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
Justin Bieber smiled like a child Friday night at the 2026 NHL Draft. Making a surprise appearance on June 26 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, he announced the No. 1 draft pick for his lifelong favorite hockey team: the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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“What’s going on, Buffalo? What’s up, Toronto? Man, what an incredible night. The child in me is ecstatic right now — I’ve been a Leafs fans since I was a little boy,” Bieber said to the arena crowd after being introduced by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who called Bieber one of the team’s “most diehard and iconic fans.”
What sounded like a mixed reaction to Bieber’s appearance from the Buffalo audience — which was likely full of Sabres fans — didn’t put a damper on the singer’s mood. He shared, “These nights are so special. I’m so grateful to be here.”
Bieber revealed Penn State’s Gavin McKenna had been drafted to the Leafs. McKenna, who’s from Whitehorse, Yukon, walked out to a fitting Bieber title, the Swag single “Yukon.” The pop star and hockey player posed for photos together onstage.
Friday also marked the release of Swag Live From Coachella (Weekend I), a 22-track live recording from Bieber’s headlining performance at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 11. The live album, featuring guest spots from The Kid LAROI, Tems, Wizkid, Dijon and Mk.gee, arrived via Def Jam.
Watch the clip of Bieber from Friday night, which was shared by the Toronto Maple Leafs through the team’s official social media account, below.
Venezuela is once again in a state of national emergency, and this time not for political reasons. The South American country was struck on Wednesday night (June 24) by twin earthquakes that caused the collapse of multiple buildings, primarily in the coastal region of La Guaira, north of Caracas, as well as in the capital city.
The magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes are among the strongest to hit Venezuela in more than a century, and were felt across the region, according to the Associated Press. By noon Saturday (June 26), the news agency reported at least 920 fatal victims and more than 51,000 missing persons.
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On social media, videos shared by hundreds of users showed the magnitude of the tragedy, with people fleeing buildings and shopping centers in terror during the quake and rescue teams later working to extract survivors and victims from the rubble. Others were desperately pleading for help in finding family members.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the first of the two earthquakes, with a magnitude of 7.2, occurred west of Morón, on the Caribbean coast, about 105 miles west of Caracas, at a depth of about 14 miles, AP informed. Just a minute later, the USGS reported a second quake, this one with a magnitude of 7.5, a depth of about 6 miles and an epicenter located 10 miles southwest of Morón.
Several nations have offered to send aid to Venezuela, including the United States, which earlier this year captured former president Nicolás Maduro in a surprise military operation.
Meanwhile, a growing number of organizations, businesses and even musicians are taking steps to raise funds and provide assistance to those affected. Below is a list of ways you can help, in alphabetical order.
Madrid was the starting point for the European leg of the BTS ARIRANG World Tour, but it also marked the end of a long wait for thousands of Spanish fans. More than 66,000 people, according to sources from Atlético de Madrid, attended the group’s first of two shows at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano on Friday (June 26).
Before the night even started, thousands of light sticks lit up the stands of a stadium completely energized, a vibe that carried through from start to finish.
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The performance was the K-pop band’s first visit to Spain and one of only two scheduled dates in the country, with the second set taking place on Saturday (June 27) at the same venue. The excitement was palpable even outside the stadium, with hundreds of fans gathering nearby to follow the concert from a distance, singing along to every song with the crowd inside the venue.
The wait ended with an explosion of cheers. “¡Vamos a volvernos locos!” J-Hope shouted in Spanish (“Let’s go crazy!”) as the show began, sparking an immediate response from the audience. Shortly after, BTS opened with “Hooligan,” one of the tracks from ARIRANG, before moving on to “Aliens” and “Run BTS.” Over the course of 23 songs, the group alternated between their fifth studio album and some of their biggest career hits, with the crowd joining in on nearly every line.
The most anticipated segment for fans who follow every stop of the tour arrived with the show’s surprise songs, which change depending on the city and date. In Madrid, the chosen tracks were “Airplane Pt. 2” and “Interlude: Wings.”
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The members of the band found several moments to address the audience in Spanish. “ARMY is on fire!” V exclaimed in response to the crowd’s enthusiasm. Later, RM got another roar from the crowd with a playful nod in Spanglish: “Estáis on fire!”
For nearly two and a half hours, the 360-degree stage kept BTS in constant motion. The central platform rose, descended and split into different levels, connected by various walkways that allowed the seven singers to move across much of the stadium and get closer to different sections of the audience. Around 30 dancers joined the performance, featuring multiple costume changes and choreography, adding to a stage production that continuously transformed throughout the night.
When “IDOL” began, BTS left the main stage to parade across the stadium floor alongside their dancers, waving large flags and luminous ribbons in one of the evening’s most celebrated sequences. During the final chorus of “Body to Body,” thousands of purple fans were raised simultaneously as part of a fan project organized by ARMY to honor the group’s first Spanish concert. It was a touching gesture by fans to reciprocate the love they’ve felt for years.
Towards the end of the night, the artists took a few moments to thank the audience for their reception. Jung Kook addressed the crowd in Spanish to say “I want to hear your scream. We’ve felt your energy so much today. I love you,” getting an immediately roar from the audience. V also spoke in Spanish when he expressed that “one of my wishes was to come to Madrid, and I made it. Thank you so much for coming.”
Then, with the help of an interpreter, Jimin delivered one of the most emotional moments of the night: “I kept thinking, why are we only visiting Spain now? For the next tour, we won’t leave Madrid out.” The stadium erupted with excitement, closing a night that ended a long wait for ARMY in Spain.
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Before arriving in Madrid, BTS had just wrapped up the North American leg of their tour, with concerts in the United States and Mexico. In Mexico City, where they performed three shows at Estadio GNP Seguros, the group was received by president Claudia Sheinbaum at the government palace.
After Spain, the trek continues throughout Europe in Brussels, London, Munich and Paris, before concluding on March 14, 2027, in Manila, Philippines.
A memorial service and celebration of life has been set for Oliver Tree, who died following a tragic helicopter crash in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that took the lives of six on June 14. The service is scheduled for July 25, with a public livestream planned “due to limited space for family and friends,” a representative for the artist tells Billboard.
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The event will be held at UCSC Quarry Amphitheater, an outdoor venue located on the University of California, Santa Cruz campus. Details on how to watch the livestream are not yet available, but will be announced shortly.
The artist, born Oliver Tree Nickell in Santa Cruz, passed away at just 32 while traveling South America on his World’s First World Tour. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, and pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Tree’s fourth studio album, Love You Madly Hate You Badly, was released in April via Atlantic Records. His final live performance was in São Paulo on June 6.
In an obituary just released by his family, he’s remembered as “more than a musician; he was a true artist in every sense of the word, seeing the world as a stage for his performance art.”
In part, the tribute reads, “Oliver cared so deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly with his authentic self, which left the audience often wondering what is real or a prank. He found beauty in the ordinary and would constantly preach his “Ugly Is Beautiful” mantra on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Under all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone belonged and could realize their true potential.” (Read the obituary provided by Tree’s family in full below.)
Among Tree’s musical accomplishments, his debut major-label album, Ugly Is Beautiful, topped Billboard‘s Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart at No. 1 in 2020. “Miss You,” a collaboration with Robin Schulz, reached o. 4 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart in 2022, and Tree’s song “Life Goes On” reached No. 7 on Billboard‘s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart the same year.
Tree’s family requests donations be made in his honor to his foundation, Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses, which Tree had outlined in his will before his death. Funds collected will support and encourage young artists to follow their dreams, as Tree wished. Its mission statement: “Oliver believed the most valuable way for artists to master their craft was not through studying, but by physically getting their hands dirty and creating things. The foundation provides grants to artists working in music, film, installation, and performance art.” Complete details can be found, and donations can be made, at olivertreefoundation.com.
Read the obituary provided by his family below:
Oliver Tree Nickell, beloved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend, passed away in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in a tragic accident at the age of 32. Known as Oliver Tree, he was an artist, storyteller, singer, songwriter, producer, director, editor, actor, filmmaker, entertainer, traveler and creative force; he had just performed in São Paulo as part of his 7-continent world tour.
Oliver was born in Santa Cruz, California. From the beginning, Oliver always had the most astonishing and relentless creative drive. He began producing skits, music, and drawings as early as 5 years old. He spent ten years racing BMX, cycle cross, cross country, mountain biking, downhill racing and free-style dirt jumping. Oliver was a DJ in his teenage years and started performing shows under the name “Kryph”, where he opened up for big artists in the dance scene. At 17, he signed with R&S Records, under the moniker “Tree”, where he put out his first official body of work “Splitting Branches”. During this period, he attended San Francisco State University and later graduated from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in 2017. At CalArts, Oliver created the “Oliver Tree” project, which included producing, directing, acting, touring, film-making, and song-writing.
In 2016, “Turbo” was born, a character he developed for the internet, who was loud, colorful, bright and hilarious. That same year, he released his first single on all platforms as Oliver Tree, in collaboration with Whethan titled “When I’m Down”. The song became a huge success and went gold. In 2017, Oliver signed with Atlantic Records and shortly after released his first viral hit song “Alien Boy” which was produced with his childhood friend Casey Mattson, as well as frequent collaborator Imad Royal. It was a song that truly encapsulated the Oliver Tree brand. Oliver then went on to release his debut album “Ugly Is Beautiful”, which hit the top 15 of Billboard 200 and reached number 1 on Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. Oliver also released a deluxe version of the album which included the song “Life Goes On”, a track that was produced with long-time friend and collaborator Getter. This song propelled Oliver into a global audience and was a commercial hit. Followed by the success of Oliver’s song “Miss You”, with Robin Schulz, which became a worldwide hit and was nominated for Best International Song (The BRIT Awards) in 2024. Oliver never stopped reinventing himself. Each album featured a distinct character in the Oliver Tree universe: Turbo for “Ugly is Beautiful” in 2020, Shawney Bravo for “Cowboy Tears” in 2022, Cornelius Cummings for “Alone in A Crowd” in 2023 up until “Love You Madly Hate You Badly” in 2026, where he removed the fake personas and decided to show the world his true self for his final album which was 100% written and produced by Oliver.
Oliver had a deep curiosity about the world and wanted to experience every country and culture. Over the past two years, Oliver was a global citizen, visiting over 100 countries: eating local cuisine; connecting with locals of all kinds; participating in ceremonies; giving concerts; and recording music on his laptop. He went to the Middle East, sailed in Antarctica and became an honorary Maasai tribal chief in Tanzania.
Oliver was more than a musician; he was a true artist in every sense of the word, seeing the world as a stage for his performance art. He pushed boundaries in every form of media and life. Oliver was on a mission to bring the world together through art and inspiring other artists to create. Being a forward thinker, Oliver created a non-profit entitled “Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses”. He wanted all of his money to go into funding other aspiring artists in all facets: music, film, installation and performance art projects.
Oliver cared so deeply about spreading art, joy, laughter and love into the world. He blended his characters seamlessly with his authentic self, which left the audience often wondering what is real or a prank. He found beauty in the ordinary and would constantly preach his “Ugly Is Beautiful” mantra on and off stage. He wanted everyone to feel like they had a place to be themselves. Under all the absurdist humor and outlandish stunts, he wanted to create an inclusive environment where everyone belonged and could realize their true potential.
Oliver was a creative force of nature, a true “Alien Boy” among human beings. His imagination was boundless, his laugh was contagious and his creativity and ideas were prolific.
Oliver is survived by his parents, Jesse & Christine Nickell of Santa Cruz, brother Jessup (Zoe), Grandmothers Ann Begin & Lorraine Nickell, Aunts Cynthia Begin, Mia Begin (Bill Schroeder), Uncle Dan Begin (Melissa), Aunts Sheree Kouffeld (Dave Christopher) and Jan Lamascus (Marvin), many beloved cousins, Beth, Breanna, Kaitlin, Kimmy, Maggie, Meadow and Nicolas; and numerous friends worldwide. He considered his team and colleagues his family: Dan Awad, Paul Donatelli; his bandmates: Casey Mattson, Amir Oosman, Jake Jamieson, Jmsey; his creative collaborators: Ethan Snoreck aka Whethan; Ryan Farber; Steve Zilberman; Jacob Dennis; Sebastian Hackett; his love Fiona Chernavskaya, as well as many others who touched his project and helped him execute his vision, who are too innumerable to be named.
We’ll leave you with a quote which Oliver said at almost every show he performed at, his mantra to the world: “No matter how strange you think you look, no matter how ugly you feel, you are beautiful.”
From festival announcements and hometown celebrations to career milestones and meaningful personal releases, Billboard editors spotlight the uplifting moments shaping Latin music each week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.
This week’s roundup is packed with moments that highlight Latin music’s reach, community impact and continued cultural momentum. Ruidosa Fest unveiled the lineup for its 2026 New York edition, returning to Lincoln Center for its third consecutive year with a bill led by powerhouse female and gender-diverse voices such as Lila Downs, Pabllo Vittar, Francisca Valenzuela and Elsa y Elmar. In Argentina, Tiago PZK returned to Monte Grande with Timbaland by his side, turning a hometown gathering into a celebration of family, unreleased music and local pride.
Elsewhere, the business side of the industry had its own feel-good milestone as QSJ Songs marked five years of writer-first publishing after a string of major wins, including a recent Billboard Latin Airplay No. 1. Miky Woodz, meanwhile, offered a more personal moment with “Carta a un Hijo,” a heartfelt release that put fatherhood and legacy front and center. Beyond music, Hermosillo native Karim López made history as the first Mexican-born player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft, with fellow Sonoran star Carín León showing up in support at Barclays Center. And in Los Angeles, DANNA brought her Lucid Dreams era to the stage for the first time with a sold-out show at The Roxy, marking a new chapter in her live evolution.
Check out our latest Uplifting Moments roundup below.
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Matt Damon is stepping into the studio and behind the mic for… a rap track?
That’s the premise for a new clip for Water.org, helping to promote the charity’s new “Get Blue” initiative. In a clip posted to Instagram earlier this month, Damon debuts his rap alter ego, “The Nomad,” to riff on the “constant struggle” to get water into the homes of those who need it most. The actor-turned-aspiring musician seeks advice from Hit-Boy, the Grammy-winning producer, who questions whether rapping is really the right move for Damon’s altruistic intentions.
“Isn’t ‘Nomad’ just ‘Damon’ spelled backwards?” Hit-Boy asks, to the chagrin of the embarrassed actor.
In person, Damon is anything but embarrassed to promote the Get Blue campaign, no matter what it takes.
“We’re always looking for ways to cut through all the noise, and sometimes, humor is a shortcut to get people’s attention,” he tells Billboard. “We’ll try anything, you know?”
Damon hasn’t had to rap in his career to date, though he notes that, “I sang in The Talented Mr. Ripley a long time ago and uh, I sung in Eurotrip.”
And while his kids are musically-inclined — “Taylor [Swift] is a huge influence in our house,” he says. “We know that catalog pretty well” — don’t expect to see Damon debuting any official musical endeavors anytime soon. “Obviously, Kendrick has nothing to worry about. I’m not gonna become a rapper,” Damon says. “I don’t think that would go well.”
For now, Damon’s rap attempt will just live on social media, with the actor also using his studio time in the clip to tell Hit-Boy about the millions of people around the world who still lack access to clean water. With the Get Blue campaign, Water.org is partnering with brands like Gap, Starbucks and Amazon, to launch products that give back. For every purchase of a Get Blue product on the Gap site, on Amazon’s Get Blue storefront (official page coming in July), or a purchase of two specialty drinks on Starbucks (the Iced Blue Coconut Matcha and the Blue Coconut Refresher), the brands will make a donation to Water.org.
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Shop Get Blue Products on Gap
The Gap collection includes blue-colored hoodies, T-shirts, baseball caps and accessories in unisex styles and sizing.
Amazon makes it even easier, with a dedicated Get Blue playlist for inspiration and a host of REDISCOVER playlists on Amazon Music, bringing back popular artists and songs in one place. Amazon says it will donate $1 to Water.org every time someone plays a participating artist’s REDISCOVER playlist. The exact list of artists will be announced in July.
Amazon Echo Dot (newest model)
An even easier way to make a difference: customers with an Alexa-enabled device can say, “Alexa, donate to Get Blue” and Amazon will contribute $5 on their behalf.
While much movement has been made to increase access to water and improve safe drinking conditions around the world, Damon notes that more than two billion people still lack access to safe water — that’s one in four people globally.
“It’s so hard for us to relate to growing up here,” Damon says. “You’re only a few steps away from a clean drink of water, whereas if you think about AIDS or cancer or things like that, usually there’s an emotional connection for somebody. You’re never very many degrees removed from somebody who’s struggling with that, whether it’s a family member or a friend.”
Get Blue Logo Baseball Hat
“What this [campaign] does,” he explains, “is it raises the awareness, and then hopefully, we can start this larger cultural conversation, and it’ll stay at the front of people’s minds.”
The Get Blue campaign continues the work that Gary White has been doing for decades, as the CEO and co-founder of Water.org. The charity works with local partners on the ground to offer small, affordable loans so families can get the pipes, pumps, or plumbing they need to serve safe drinking water at home. Education is also an important of their advocacy, with White noting that many young children in developing countries can’t attend school, because they are in charge of water collection for their families.
“So many people around the world, when they wake up tonight, they don’t know where they’re going to get their water, and they have to spend time and sometimes money just to get it,” White tells Billboard. “And with Water.org, we’ve pioneered some really innovative ways to kind of close that gap,” he says, noting the organization’s work in everything from building wells to facilitating clean sanitation.
“But what we also realize is we need to bring in a wider audience,” White adds. “It’s critically important that we have these partners who have a platform, who have a voice, who know how to connect through cool shirts or music, because that’s where people live.”
White’s goal for the campaign and for his organization: “We’ve reached over 90 million people with our water programs and I think in the next four years, we can reach another 100 million.”
Starbucks Physical Gift Cards (Multipack of 4 x $10)
Whether you’re ordering a fancy “blue” Starbucks drink or picking up a T-shirt at Gap, Damon says the Get Blue campaign makes it easier than ever to make a difference.
“When I was growing up, on our refrigerator, my mother had this quote from Gandhi, and it said, ‘No matter how insignificant what you do may seem, it is most important that you do it,’” he says. “And I’ve always thought about that. I think the problems of the world can feel overwhelming,” he continues, “but if everybody does their part, what you’re doing is not insignificant, because you’re going to save somebody’s life. You’re going to completely change the outcome of their life. And there’s nothing insignificant about that.”
This week, Billboard’s New Music Friday Guide: Latin roundup — curated with key recommendations by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features a number of new songs and albums, including Bizarrap and Myke Towers’ “BZRP Music Session #42/66,” Becky G’s “Patrona” and Kane Rodriguez’s album Loco Soñador.
Released Wednesday, Argentinian producer Bizarrap dropped his latest music session featuring Puerto Rican artist Myke Towers. “BZRP Music Session #42/66” is the producer’s first session of the year. His previous one, “BZRP Music Session #0/66,” dropped in late 2025 and featured another Puerto Rican music icon, Daddy Yankee.
The music session with Towers was released in two different acts. In the first one, Towers’ signature melodic rapping style takes precedence while Bizarrap’s bass-heavy, hip-hop-driven beats deliver the undertone. Through the lyrics, the rapper pays homage to his roots, rapping about his elevated lifestyle while making it clear that Puerto Rico remains on his mind no matter where his career takes him.
In the second part of the collaboration comes “Boobytrap,” a long-awaited track that fans have anticipated ever since an early snippet surfaced years ago. In the trap-leaning rap song, Towers shows off his lyrical tenacity, rapping about his lifestyle and how he now has the respect he didn’t get before from others in the industry. The song title “Boobytrap” refers to a famous strip club in Miami, also named Boobytrap, which the artist claims to visit whenever in South Florida.
Meanwhile, artists such as Hermanos Espinoza, Kane Rodriguez, Fuerza Régida and Mariangela also dropped new music this week.
The most recent New Music Latin poll was topped by Feid’s El Moco Verde with more than 49.53% of the vote. Which release this week do you think is best? Give these new releases a spin and vote for your favorite new Latin music release below.
Editor’s Note: The results of the weekly New Music Latin poll will be posted if the poll generates more than 1,000 votes. This poll closes at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, June 29.
