Three, two, one … “Brunette”!

When Tucker Wetmore’s frenetic “Brunette” started shaking up listeners on social media and streaming platforms last summer, his team got anxious. He already had “3, 2, 1” at radio, and they temporarily considered whether they’d picked the wrong single.

“We had that conversation of pulling ‘3, 2, 1’ down and then going with ‘Brunette,’” Wetmore recalls. “But I was like, ‘Honestly, “3, 2, 1” is still testing great. It’s doing all the things that it should. Let’s see if “Brunette” rides it out.’ And it ended up doing it.”

Indeed, “3, 2, 1” peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated Dec. 13, 2025, and Back Blocks/Mercury Nashville released “Brunette” to country radio via PlayMPE on Dec. 8. Thus, one could argue that “3, 2, 1” served as a countdown to “Brunette.”

Appropriately, “Brunette” was one of the songs that Wetmore performed on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, sung from a Las Vegas stage on ABC after the countdown kicked off 2026. He was part of a Vegas lineup that included Jordan Davis, Mariah Carey, Charlie Puth, Jessie Murph and 50 Cent.

“That was a good time,” Wetmore says. “I didn’t really know how big of a deal it was until I showed up.”

“Brunette” is quickly becoming a big deal on its own. He performed it during the halftime show at the NFC Championship Game in Seattle on Jan. 25, and it’s already rocketed to No. 24 on the Country Airplay list dated Feb. 7, behind an emphatic hook, a deceptive storyline and a speedy tempo of 134 beats per minute.

“There aren’t many songs out there right now that are that tempo,” Wetmore says. “I like how different that makes it.”

“Different” was the goal when songwriter-producer Chris LaCorte hosted the songwriting session that spawned “Brunette” at his Nashville office on Jan. 23, 2024, with Josh Miller, Blake Pendergrass and Chase McGrill. That foursome also penned Morgan Wallen’s current single, “20 Cigarettes.” “When we sit down to write, man, it’s big swings only,” McGill says. “We’re never setting out to write a normal song.”

Miller had the title, “Brunette,” and an idea that a dark-haired woman might actually be the solution for the protagonist, who’s had a string of bad luck dating blondes. McGill grabbed one of LaCorte’s many guitars – in this case, a 1961 Gibson LG-2 – and dove into a fast-paced, rolling guitar riff that operates like a series of sparks every time the chord changes.

“Whoever played it on the master probably used a pick, but on the demo, I would have been doing banjo-style rolls on guitar,” McGill says. “My only way to gain speed is I use three fingers instead of one pick.”

The verses apply long melodic notes, developed by Miller, to counter that busy guitar bed, beginning with the opening “Lord kno-o-o-o-ows I got a type.” After four lines, the singer concedes that blondes “put me through hell,” before launching into the punchy chorus: “I need a brown-eyed, 5’-5”, north side of the Mason Dixon line…” The rest of that chorus is a verbal blur until it reaches its insistent conclusion: “I need to find me a brunette.”

As clear as the writers were about the plot, it likely requires multiple listens for most fans, since the speed leaves much of the verses and the middle of that chorus difficult to discern. Given that the most obvious lyrics are the beginning and end of the chorus, it comes off like an anthem for northern gals with brown locks, when it’s really an acknowledgement of the guy’s obsession with Southern blondes.

“I think the song was unintentionally deceptive,” LaCorte notes.

At the end of the first chorus, McGill broke the rolling pattern with a series of block chords – it feels a bit like a progressive-rock diversion before the bluegrass sparks begin again. “We all might need just a break,” McGill says. “The guitar player might need a break. The listener might need a break after that chorus. We’ve got 32nd notes rolling on guitar, we’ve got quick melodies – like, let’s let it sink in and then go back.”

Verse two continues the protagonist’s inner turmoil, and at the end of the second chorus, they extended the stanza by anticipating the next woman, who can’t possibly be blonde if he wants a successful relationship: “You ruined that for me when you left.” After a third chorus, they brought the whole thing to an abrupt end right near the two-minute mark. They didn’t even consider making it longer.

“At the time, there were so many pop radio hits that were like a minute and 55 seconds, two minutes and 15 seconds,” LaCorte recalls. “A lot of them don’t even come around to a third chorus. I think some of it was a trend, but I kind of love the psychological play on that, where it leaves you wanting more and you want to play it again.”

LaCorte produced a simple demo, dominated by the vocal and the guitar lick, with a faint bass and four-on-the-floor kick drum. It was loose enough that it could have led to a bluegrass recording or even something with a Lumineers feel. Though LaCorte emerged as Wetmore’s producer, he didn’t pitch “Brunette.” Instead, one of the song’s publishers sent it to Back Blocks CEO/founder Rakiyah Marshall, who forwarded it among about a dozen songs for Wetmore to audition. He had the music going through headphones as he climbed aboard a flight from the tarmac in a small Oklahoma airport. He was immediately taken by “Brunette,” envisioning a Western flair.

“It’s kind of like a sharpshooter in the middle of a dusty street kind of vibe,” he says. “That’s what that lick gives me.”

LaCorte wasn’t sure what the musicians would do with it during the tracking session at Nashville’s Sound Stage, but Wetmore’s Western idea resonated with them, and between the breakneck pace and the left-of-center sound, they played with abandon. “It kind of feels like a panic attack,” LaCorte says. “It’s almost anxiety-driving, in a good way.”

With that in mind, Wetmore wanted a piano section at the end for a cool-down effect, and Alex Wright got it on the fourth take. The hitmaker was a tad nervous about cutting the final vocal at the song’s accelerated speed. “I had to learn a little bit where to take my breaths and where to put the accent words,” he says. But he ended up doing additional takes to land five or six harmony parts over the lead vocal, embedding every nuance in his brain.

“Brunette” is currently the finale in his live show, and as it rollicks up the chart, the “unintentionally deceptive” lyrics have two factions of his audience battling it out for ownership.

“I like to see the blondes and brunettes kind of go back and forth at each other – ‘No, this song is about blondes’ or ‘This song is about brunettes,’” he says. “See what it stirred up.”

Bad Bunny is gearing up for his highly anticipated Super Bowl Halftime Show happening Sunday (Feb. 8), where he will make history as the first artist to perform primarily in Spanish while headlining the show.

This also marks his return to the biggest stage in music after briefly joining Jennifer Lopez and Shakira during their headlining halftime show in 2020, during which he sang his verse from Cardi B’s “I Like It,” which landed the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018.

Media from all over the world gathered at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Thursday (Feb. 5) for the halftime show press conference, where a DJ spun timeless Latin hits such as De La Ghetto and Randy Nota Loca’s “Sensación del Bloque,” Los Diablitos’ “Los Caminos de la Vida” and Monchy y Alexandra’s “Hoja en Blanco,” in addition to reggaetón bangers and songs from the “Trap Bunny” era, just hours before El Conejo’s arrival.

At 10 a.m. local time, the artist born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio sat down with Apple Music Radio hosts Zane Lowe and Ebro Darden for the headliner interview.  

“To be honest, I don’t know how I’m feeling. There’s a lot,” Bad Bunny said about his forthcoming performance that follows his historic album of the year win at the 2026 Grammys. “I’m still in the middle of my tour. I was just at the Grammys last week. I’ve been working on this show. Of course, there’s a lot of gratitude. It’s how I’ve been feeling this whole year with the album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. The biggest feeling is being grateful.” 

Benito is taking it easy as he prepares for his big show: “I wake up, work out, [drink] my coffee, try not to think too much about it. I want to think that it’s just 13-minutes of doing something that I love. I’m trying to enjoy it. I know I’m going to have fun. Everyone is going to have fun that day. I’m trying not to put pressure.”

As for any special guests? He refused to give any spoilers, saying he will have his friends, family and the Latino community by his side. “I just want people to have fun. It’s going to be a huge party, what people can always expect from me,” he noted. “Of course, a lot of my culture. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it’s going to be fun! I know I said people have four months to learn Spanish, but no, just come ready to dance.”  

Though details of his performance are still top secret, it’s most certain that it will be an homage to his Puerto Rican culture and his blockbuster album Debí Tirar Más Fotos.

“That record taught me a lot. I think it’s the most special project that I’ve ever done because it brought me here,” he expressed. “I wasn’t looking for the album of the year at the Grammys and Latin Grammys. I wasn’t looking to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show. I was just looking to connect with my roots, my people more than ever, connect with myself, my history, my culture. I did it in a very honest way. … The opportunity to bring the feeling I put on that album to one of the biggest stages in the world is something I never thought. You always have to be proud of who you are and feel comfortable being yourself, but don’t let that limit yourself. I know where I come from, but I also know where I can go.”

The press conference also included a colorful one-hour online pre-show that featured commentaries by special guests such as John Hamm, Chente Ydrach and Chuwi, among others. Before Benito joined the press conference, artists Charlie Puth, Brandi Carlile and Coco Jones also sat down for a Q&A to talk about their pre-game show performances.

The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show will take place during the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 8 via NBC and Telemundo.

As Bad Bunny polishes his Grammys and preps for the Super Bowl Halftime Show, he and dozens of other stars are still facing an unprecedented lawsuit – one that claims a key element of nearly every reggaeton track was essentially stolen from a single 1989 song.

The huge copyright case, filed by Cleveland “Clevie” Browne and the heirs of Wycliffe “Steely” Johnson, claims their 1989 song “Fish Market” is the source of the “dem bow rhythm” — the boom-ch-boom-chick percussion that’s a hallmark of reggaeton.

Based on that claim, Steely & Clevie are suing more than 150 artists, including Bad Bunny, Karol G, Pitbull, Drake, Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi, plus units of all three major music companies. They claim that more than 1,800 different songs featuring dem bow were illegally copied from “Fish Market,” and they want hundreds of millions in damages.

As music law experts previously told Billboard, the Steely & Clevie lawsuit could have an immensely disruptive impact on reggaeton — a booming genre that has risen alongside Bad Bunny from the clubs of Puerto Rico to the very top of the global music business.

“This case is jaw-dropping — the plaintiffs are suing over a hundred artists for over a thousand songs, 30 years after the release of their song,” Jennifer Jenkins, a Duke University law professor, told Billboard at the time. “If they win, this would confer a monopoly over an entire genre, something unprecedented in music copyright litigation.” For more details on the case, go read Billboard’s deep-dive here.

In seeking to defeat the lawsuit, attorneys for Bad Bunny and the other artists have echoed that exact point. In one filing, the star’s lawyers said the case “seeks to monopolize practically the entire reggaetón musical genre” by claiming control over basic musical elements that aren’t supposed to be protected by copyright law.

In 2024, a judge ruled that it was too early to decide those complex issues, allowing the case to move ahead. But now, after two years of litigation and discovery, the massive lawsuit has reached its make-or-break moment, as attorneys for the artists have asked for “summary judgment” – urging the judge to decide the entire dispute without sending it to trial.

In doing so, they say that the musical element that Steely & Clevie claim as intellectual property actually “exists in countless prior works and musical genres,” including the “centuries-old” boom-ch-boom-chick, also known as the habanera rhythm, that everyone recognizes. Unsurprisingly, attorneys for the plaintiffs beg to differ: “For decades, defendants have exploited the Dem Bow Riddim and extolled its creativity, originality, and appeal.”

Following a live hearing in federal court in December, the case is now primed for a ruling at some point in the next few months, perhaps as soon as next week. Will Bad Bunny add a legal victory to his recent Grammy wins and Super Bowl performance? Stay tuned.