New Music Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs and albums recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

Junior H & Gael Valenzuela, DEP</3$$SED MFKZ

Junior H’s first album in three years opens with a trilogy of songs — “No Tengas Miedo,” “En Donde Estás,” and “Errores” (where every “s” is swapped with a “$”) — each forming a mosaic of love, loss, and lingering heartbreak. The themes are unmistakably heavy, yet there’s a tenderness in the way the star balances despair with self-awareness. It’s less a requiem for ruined relationships and more a meditation on the impact of emotional scars — how they shape us without fully defining us.

Songs like “Cholo” and “La Cama” are born from fleeting inspiration, and “Mis Llamadas” shimmer with raw authenticity. Junior H’s knack for crafting confessional ballads glows alongside Gael Valenzuela’s measured vulnerability. Their collaboration LP feels effortless, unfolding as though each track were exhaled into existence in dimly lit rooms, armed with steely guitar interplay, a notebook, and the weight of their thoughts.

Stylistically, the 15-track album retains Junior H’s signature blend of brooding simplicity, born from the ethos of the ever-growing $ad Boyz movement. The Guanajuato-born artist elevates the project further by grounding his listeners in its duality: an intimate one-man confessional yet richly collaborative. Through his mentorship of the up-and-coming Mexicali singer-songwriter, the album becomes just as much about companionship as it is about the lonesome introspection Junior H is famous for. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Julieta Venegas feat. Natalia Lafourcade, “Tengo Que Contarte” (Altafonte)

Two iconic voices of Mexican music, Julieta Venegas and Natalia Lafourcade, reunite 17 years later to celebrate friendship and offer solace through the rhythm of regional Mexican music, interpreted from a contemporary and deeply emotional perspective. In “Tengo Que Contarte” (I Have to Tell You), the second single from Venegas’s new album, Norteña — to be released this May — the singer-songwriter duo presents an ode to sisterhood through an intimate and sincere conversation, a blend of nostalgia, confession, and sisterhood, all set to the guitars and wind instruments that accompany this moving piece, reflecting the rich soundscape of Mexico. The lyrics are co-written by Venegas and El David Aguilar, co-producer of the Tijuana-born songwriter’s new album and a frequent collaborator of Lafourcade. The song is accompanied by a video of both artists during the studio recording, which captures the connection between them. — NATALIA CANO

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso and Sting, “HASTA JESÚS TUVO UN MAL DÍA” (5020 Records)

Following the chaotic music video for “GIMME MORE,” where they are seen burning one of five Latin Grammys they won last November, CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso are now in a healing journey at the hand of English icon Sting. Marking their first collaborative effort, “Hasta Jesús Tuvo un Mal Día” (Even Jesus Had Bad Days) captures in essence how the Argentine duo is overcoming a crash-and-burn moment in their career due to their overwhelming rise to success.

Now, with a holistic approach and after doing a 12-step healing program, which will be turned into songs, CA7RIEL y Paco Amoroso present their new song with Sting — a jazzy punk rock song, where they sing about breaking free, paying their debts, learning from their mistakes, and becoming better people. “No, don’t give up just yet/ Even Jesus had bad days/ Follow your heart/ Everything has a solution,” they chant. “Hasta Jesús Tuvo un Mal Día” marks the first single off of the pair’s FREE SPIRITS album due in March, where they will address the 12 problems that took them to their breaking point. – JESSICA ROIZ

Carlos Rivera & Alejandro Fernández “Sin Despedida”(Sony Music Mexico)

The stunning voices of Carlos Rivera and Alejandro Fernández unite in “Sin Despedida,” where pop blends with trumpets and violins, giving it a mariachi touch, while the accordion adds its part for a norteño sound. “Drive me crazy, blind me, leave without saying goodbye and go in silence/ Lie to me a little, say it isn’t true, or take my life, my very life, and leave me dead,” they sing. The song is accompanied by a music video, filmed at an old hacienda in Guadalajara, Carlos Rivera’s birthplace. This track is the first single from Rivera’s upcoming album, Vida México. “Sin despedida” will also be the theme song for the Televisa/Univision telenovela Mi Rival. — TERE AGUILERA

Lila Downs & Snow Tha Product, “Cambias mi Mundo” (Sony Music México)

With a message of female empowerment, these two singer-songwriters, who share a dual Mexican-American heritage, send a message of freedom and pride in their origins in a powerful cumbia that invites both dancing and reflection. It’s Downs’ first new song since 2023 and a preview of her upcoming album, featuring all her own compositions. For this track, the Oaxacan-born artist drew inspiration from the strength of young women who study and strive to improve their communities, making the Californian rapper’s participation all the more symbolic. “I think women are at a turning point. We’re at that moment of taking up the mantle and saying, ‘We’re going to change our world. We’re going to do it,’” Downs says about her creation. The single’s artwork is a lithograph by artist Alex José, hand-printed using a tortilla press and inspired by the World tarot card. — N.C.

Carolina Ross & Kalimba, “No puedo olvidarte” (FONO)

Carolina Ross joins pop star Kalimba on the latest single ahead of her debut mariachi album, slated for release in March. “No puedo odiarte” (I Can’t Hate You) speaks of the frustration of not being able to forget a past love that still hurts deeply. The track marks the first time the former OV7 member has recorded in the regional Mexican genre. The classic mariachi sound — with its elegant violins and trumpets — sounds romantic and even nostalgic in this Ross track, included on the album Coleccionando Corazones (Collecting Hearts), her debut on Fono Records after a successful independent career. Carolina is nominated for a Premio Lo Nuestro award for female artist of the year – Mexican music. — T.A.

Check out more Latin recommendations this week below:

Bad Bunny isn’t just shaking up the Billboard music charts — he’s driving major travel trends, too. Following a standout halftime performance at this year’s Super Bowl, flights to Puerto Rico and Latin America have skyrocketed, proving once again that pop culture and travel are closely intertwined.

According to data from Expedia shared with Billboard, flight searches for Puerto Rico increased an astonishing 245% in the days following his halftime performance, as fans clamor for a taste of the island’s tropical culture, chart-topping music, and energy showcased on one of the world’s biggest stages.

“Pop culture has a real influence on where people choose to travel, and we’re seeing that play out in a big way this week,” Melanie Fish, vp of public relations at Expedia Group, tells Billboard. “After Sunday’s halftime performance, searches on Expedia for Puerto Rico and other key Latin American destinations skyrocketed as travelers looked to experience the energy they saw on stage for themselves. It’s a great example of how music and culture can inspire your travel plans, uncovering destinations you’ve never visited before.”

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital, saw flight searches spike 240%, while Vega Baja — the artist’s hometown — experienced a jaw-dropping 1,450% increase in interest. Vega Baja, known for its serene beaches and coastal charm, has quickly become a sought-after destination for travelers hoping to connect with the superstar’s roots. (Note: Data based on flight searches made on Expedia.com from Feb. 8 – 11 2026 compared to searches made from Feb. 8 – 11 2025, for stays anytime in those listed cities or countries.)

But the impact didn’t stop at Puerto Rico. This year’s halftime show — celebrated for its representation of a bevy of Latin American cultures — appeared to have a “halo effect” on travel to the broader region. Flight searches for Mexico surged by 210%, while Brazil and Colombia saw increases of 120%. Argentina also experienced a notable boost, with searches jumping 70%.

Bad Bunny’s influence isn’t just trending stateside — it’s driving interest in his upcoming international tour destinations, too, according to Expedia data. Flight searches to London, where he will perform this June, spiked by 90%, while Madrid saw a 20% boost. Closer to home, São Paulo searches rose 35% just ahead of his show there next week. (Note: Data based on flight searches made on Expedia.com from Feb. 8–11, 2026, compared to searches from Feb. 8–11, 2025, for concert dates in each city + 1 day before to allow for travel.)

Bad Bunny’s influence extends beyond travel. During his halftime show, the Puerto Rican artist debuted the unreleased BadBo 1.0 “Resilience” shoes, a collaborative project with Adidas. Searches for the futuristic, cream-toned sneakers spiked by 496% in the hours following the performance, according to JD Sports. The company also notes that “Bad Bunny style” searches skyrocketed by 1,284%.

For Don Toliver, this past week has been the culmination of a long road of consistent, hard work. The Houston rapper, signed to Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack Records in partnership with Atlantic, has been steadily releasing albums over the past six years, with each project debuting in the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

But this week, he finally climbed the summit. The MC’s fifth album, OCTANE, became his first album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200, debuting this week with 162,000 equivalent album units, good for the best week of his career. And doing it in a crowded January, amid huge moments including the Grammys, the Super Bowl and major releases from the likes of Zach Bryan, A$AP Rocky and more, has made it all the more impressive that OCTANE cut through and succeeded. And that helps make his A&R and manager at Cactus Jack, and founder of three times LOUDER, Sickamore, Billboard’s Executive of the Week.

Here, Sickamore — who has held high-level A&R roles at Def Jam, Epic, Atlantic and Interscope through the years — talks about what went into helping OCTANE reach the summit, the rollout strategy for the project, and why hip-hop is here to stay. “Hip-hop is a culture, not a genre,” he says. “It comes from a real place. It’s the voice of the unheard.”

This week, Don Toliver’s OCTANE became his first-ever No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. What key decision did you make to help make that happen?

The biggest decision was when to drop. We felt confident in OCTANE as a body of work, but needed to be strategic on our release date. January was a minefield: Taylor Swift, A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Super Bowl LX, Zach Bryan. Ultimately, we went with a contrarian idea: what if music’s biggest weekend, The Grammys, was also the least busy?

This is Don’s fifth top 10 album on the Billboard 200, but at 162,000 equivalent album units, it’s also his best week ever. How did you go about putting this album together differently than previous releases?

It starts with Don’s work ethic. Five solo albums plus two JACKBOYS compilation projects in a little over six years. We worked nonstop on OCTANE throughout 2025, creating the music and world-building simultaneously. We learned something with every album, but the biggest differentiator on OCTANE was having all our videos, content and physicals ready before announcing. We weren’t leaving anything on the table this time around.

What was the rollout strategy for OCTANE, and how did you guys pull it off successfully?

Cactus Jack prides itself on rollouts. Don, [Cactus Jack CEO] David Stromberg, Travis [Scott] and myself wanted to come out, throw a flurry of punches and not give anyone time to think. We dictated the flow: trailer, videos, livestream, tour announcement. The new Atlantic regime supported us fully every step of the way. Along with UTA, we felt unstoppable. 

What was your physical and merch strategy with the album’s release?

Cactus Jack rewrote the merch playbook years ago. It’s always the same: build a world for fans to believe and get lost in. Sales come with buy-in.

“Body” also became his first No. 1 on the Hot Rap Songs chart, and with 17 songs on the list this week, he’s just the sixth artist to have that many in a single week, alongside Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Baby, Playboi Carti and Travis Scott. Why do you think this album has resonated so much with fans and at DSPs?

I feel this album resonated with fans because it’s really, really good. Everyone can relate to a car ride, and this album is a late-night, going 120 mph. Don took real chances with the songwriting, and the production — led by 206DEREK — is experimental and pushed sonic boundaries. Not to mention the clever sample usages. I believe people appreciate OCTANE’s ambition.

You’ve been in hip-hop for over 20 years. How has it changed, and how do you keep up?

My role in hip-hop as an OG and a leader is to keep pushing forward, not to keep up. Keep new voices to the forefront. I don’t take the seat I’m in for granted. There’s been a lot of talk about the demise of hip-hop, but we will never die. You see the influence in Afrobeats, reggaeton, and music worldwide. The kids are saying 2026 is the new 2016, and they are right. Don, Cole, Rocky, Baby Keem, Jack Harlow, Drake, Ye — who’s losing steam? Sorry Gene Simmons, but we aren’t stopping.

The biggest story in the live music business this week was the controversy surrounding Casey Wasserman, the founder and CEO of Wasserman Group, the agency whose music division books Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Skrillex and hundreds of other artists of all sizes and genres.

On Jan. 30, the U.S. Department of Justice released an additional 3 million pages of documents from the files in the case of financier and convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Wasserman was among the many notable public figures who appeared in them. Wasserman flew on Epstein’s private jet in 2002, and the documents also include risqué emails from 2003 between Wasserman, who was then married, and Epstein’s now-incarcerated associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

“I deeply regret my correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place over two decades ago, long before her horrific crimes came to light,” Wasserman wrote in a Jan. 31 statement. “I never had a personal or business relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”

Still, Wasserman’s connection to Maxwell, and by extension Epstein, has spurred a slew of artists — including Chappell Roan, Orville Peck and Sylvan Esso — to part ways with the agency, with others calling for Wasserman to step down from his leadership role. Bethany Cosentino, the frontwoman of the band Best Coast, was the first artist to announce her departure from Wasserman, writing on Feb. 5 that “I did not consent to having my name or my career tied to someone with this kind of association to exploitation.”

Reportedly, a group of Wasserman Music agents has asked Wasserman to sell them the agency’s music business — and has threatened to leave the agency if he doesn’t. But so far, Wasserman, who is also serving as the president of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, has made no indication that he will leave his namesake agency or change his role there. Neither Wasserman nor his agency have issued a statement addressing the developing situation since.

What does all this mean for Wasserman, its agents and clients, and the broader live music business? Read on for an FAQ. 

How Established is Wasserman’s Music Business?

Wasserman Group has existed since 2002, but only got into the music business in 2021, when it acquired Paradigm Talent Agency’s North American live music representation business. Before that acquisition, Paradigm had spent years building its own business through acquisitions, and by 2021, it was among music’s most influential agencies. Wasserman’s resources helped turbocharge the new Wasserman Music, and in February 2024, Casey told Billboard, “We believe in the music business. We’re not buying [Paradigm] for tomorrow; we’re buying it for the next 100 years.” But committed as Wasserman might be to his agency’s music operations, many of the division’s agents, clients and relationships long predate the existence of Wasserman Music.

How Much Does an Artist Care About Their Agency?

While agencies provide robust services and resources for their clients — and for the agents who work at them — artists are generally most committed to their specific individual agents, and will often follow them from agency to agency. So far, the statements of Wasserman clients who have spoken out have reflected this dynamic. “I have worked with my agent, Sam Hunt, for over 15 years who has done incredible work in representing me,” Cosentino wrote in her statement. “I am in the Sam Hunt business. I am not in the Wasserman business.” Several artists have referenced such longstanding relationships and praised their Wasserman agents — but ultimately, those allegiances have been trumped by the gravity of the association with Wasserman. “We love and appreciate our actual agents and we hope they can find a new scenario we can be a part of,” the electronic trio Levity wrote in a statement on Instagram announcing its departure from Wasserman. 

Can Those Agents Just Leave Wasserman?

It’s unclear. While artists have started to announce their departures, agents have so far remained in place. The explanation for this is fairly simple: As public-facing entertainers, artists face a much more immediate risk to their brands and businesses than agents do, and agents are likely holding out to see Wasserman’s next move, which could absolve them from needing to take action on their own. But there are legal and contractual considerations as well. Agents are often bound by multi-year contracts, which could complicate the process of leaving the agency. And while legislation in states like California and New York has significantly weakened noncompete clauses, jumping ship for another agency — or banding together and starting their own — still may not be feasible for some agents. If Wasserman does remain at the agency, he could release disgruntled agents from their contracts — or they could attempt to force his hand with a walkout.

What Could The Fallout Be?

Prior to the pandemic, Paradigm Music was on a roll, and Wasserman Music has continued that momentum, signing major new clients and poaching prominent agents (and often the artists with whom they work) from competing firms. The agency world always seems to be in flux — from the indie agencies that formed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to CAA’s blockbuster acquisition of ICM Partners in 2022 — but the sheer number of agents, artists, or both who could soon be looking for a new agency home would be unprecedented, and could possibly reshape the booking market.

Take the world of dance music, where Wasserman represents such heavy hitters as Skrillex, Rüfüs Du Sol and Swedish House Mafia, among many others. Several prominent dance artists, including ODESZA and Lane 8, have already announced their departures from Wasserman, while others, such as John Summit and Subtronics, have publicly called on Wasserman to step down and threatened to leave if he doesn’t. At this year’s edition of Movement, the revered Detroit electronic festival, Wasserman has by far the most clients on the bill (18% of Movement’s bookings), followed by Liasion Artists (7%); major competitors WME and UTA rank at 6% and 3%, respectively. An agency that could land a disproportionate number of Wasserman agents or clients seeking a new home for representation could surge ahead in the dance music sector — and a similar phenomenon could play out in other genres, given Wasserman’s strength across the booking business.

How Does L.A. 2028 Factor In?

Amid all this, Wasserman’s agency — which built its name by representing athletes, first and foremost — isn’t his only consideration. Since the late 1990s, the executive has been a key figure in the world of sports business, and he’s been working for more than a decade to bring the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles in 2028. Wasserman became the chair of the event’s organizing committee in 2017, and its president in 2024 — a role that has thrust him into the political spotlight, including into meetings with President Donald Trump. The Olympics may be what Wasserman currently cares about most — and, so far at least, this scandal hasn’t shaken the Los Angeles Olympic Committee board’s faith in him. “We found Mr. Wasserman’s relationship with Epstein and Maxwell did not go beyond what has already been publicly documented,” the committee wrote after a review of the documents, reaffirming its commitment to the executive. If the committee had moved on from Wasserman, it would’ve made it challenging for him to credibly maintain his post at his agency; likewise, its decision to stand by him strengthens his argument that he can remain atop Wasserman.

Will Casey Wasserman Survive This Scandal?

That’s the big question, and the one that everyone seems to be waiting on. There are several scenarios for what could come next that all seem somewhat possible, depending on Wasserman’s personal next move. One, he could stay, and try to weather the exodus of music artists and agents; so far, his sports division appears mostly intact, with soccer superstar Abby Wambach the only athlete to publicly announce she was leaving over the scandal, and a reduced music roster could still remain viable. Two, he could sell his agency, whether to his own agents or to another consortium, which would likely involve the agency being renamed to distance itself from its founder; a sister possible scenario could involve him merely spinning off the music agency and retaining the sports side, in which case the outcome would be similar. A third possibility could be him stepping away from the CEO role and into some sort of chairman position, with the agency being renamed, which would allow him to stay on in some capacity but could quell some of the PR issues and associations that are part of this equation. Which option he takes remains to be seen.