This Valentine’s Day, all Mary J. Blige wants is for everyone to “be happy.”

On Saturday (Feb. 7), the nine-time Grammy winner will team up with Lifetime for the premiere of Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy, a new romantic dramedy inspired by her 1994 Billboard Hot 100 top 40 hit of the same name (No. 29). Anchored by a cast including NAACP Image Award-winners Tisha Campbell and Mekhi Phifer and SAG Award nominee Russell Hornsby, the film uses Blige’s classic to explore a story of reinvention, intimacy and the new midlife paths that lead women to rediscover parts of themselves and radically reshape their futures.

“When I was recording these songs, they were movies,” Blige tells Billboard. “I was living ‘Real Love.’ Even if I didn’t go to college, I was searching for a real love. With Be Happy, she’s in a marriage, and she’s trying to figure out where she fits and what her purpose is now because her marriage is fizzling out, and it’s now time to reinvent, not be stuck and move forward. That’s been the story of my life: reinventing. Not because somebody wants me to, but because it’s where life takes me. And people love a wholesome movie about love and change; that’s what my songs represent to people.”

Marking the fourth collaboration between Blige and Lifetime, Be Happy is helmed by Academy Award-nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) in her directorial debut. Cameron J. Ross, who previously worked on The Summer I Turned Pretty, penned the script, while additional producers include Bruce Miller, Milana Edwards Brooks, Mona Scott-Young, and Angela White. In 2023, Blige and Lifetime teamed up for Real Love and Strength of a Woman, following those films with Family Affair in 2025. Be Happy is the first film in their collaboration to not feature the trio of Ajiona Alexus, Da’Vinchi and Princess Davis, who all starred in the first three Blige-inspired movies.

No stranger to the film world, the R&B icon earned a pair of Oscar nominations (best supporting actress and best original song) for 2017’s Mudbound. From 2020-2024, she starred in the Starz crime drama Power Book II: Ghost as the fan-favorite Monet Stewart Tejada, winning two NAACP Image Awards for her performance.

Blige’s new film arrives a few months before she heads to Sin City for her first-ever Las Vegas Residency. Dubbed ‘Mary J. Blige: My Life, My Story The Las Vegas Residency,’ the show will kick off May 1 at Dolby Live at Park MGM, with 10 dates scheduled through July. “People have been asking me to do a residency for years, and now I’m ready to go sit in Vegas,” she said, later joking that she’s most excited about “not getting on a plane or a bus” like she’s had to for larger-scale tours.

Last year, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul earned the No. 5 highest-grossing R&B tour of 2025 with her arena-headlining For My Fans Tour, pulling in $37.1 million from 270,000 tickets sold. The three-hour R&B spectacle, which also featured sets from Mario and Ne-Yo, covered a large swath of Blige’s sprawling catalog, though her underrated 2014 London Sessions project was relegated to the bench.

“I’m working on it. I have so many records. And a lot of Mary J. Blige fans don’t know The London Sessions,” she said. “I love [that album.] I went to London and stayed out there for a month or two to get it done. But just because I love something doesn’t mean all the fans are ready. Hopefully, one day they’ll explore it!”

Be Happy also hits screens one day before Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8), where Bad Bunny will headline the Apple Music halftime show. Blige played the 2022 halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar, earning an Emmy Award for outstanding variety special (live). Even though she’s already conquered that stage, the “Be Without You” singer says she doesn’t have any advice for the Puerto Rican powerhouse.

“I think he’s got it! He performs to trillions of people; everybody goes to a Bad Bunny show,” she gushed. “So I think he’s going to kill it. It’s going to be great!”

Produced by Blue Butterfly Productions, Monami Productions, Motion Entertainment and Swirl Films for Lifetime, Be Happy premieres Saturday, Feb. 7, on Lifetime at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Watch the official trailer for Mary J. Blige Presents Be Happy below.

Trust Mariah Carey to bring glitz, glamour and vocals wherever she goes!

The Songbird Supreme delivered a terrific rendition medley of “Volare” and “Nothing Is Impossible” at the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony on Friday (Feb. 6). Donning a gorgeous white-and-silver gown adorned with a dramatic, feathery overcoat, Carey seamlessly sang “Volare,” a 1958 Eurovision Song Contest track, locally known as “Nel blu dipinto di blu,” in Italian. After nailing one of her signature whistle notes, the Grammy-winning legend then transitioned into “Nothing Is Impossible,” a standout ballad from her latest album, 2025’s Here for It All.

Carey revealed that she would perform at this year’s Winter Olympics, which takes place Feb. 6-22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, during the holidays. Additional performers for the opening ceremony included five-time Grammy nominee Andrea Bocelli and Grammy and Golden Globe winner Laura Pausani. In addition to an appearance from Emmy Award-nominated White Lotus star Sabrina Impacciatore, the opening ceremony also featured a special surprise message from Taylor Swift.

“I am very grateful for everything you’ve done to get to this point in your life and grateful that you’ve brought all of us along on this journey,” said Swift, who also dropped her “Opalite” music video the same day. “Wishing you all the best of luck and a safe journey, and I hope this is an experience you cherish for the rest of your life.”

Friday’s Opening Ceremony performance continues a busy month for Carey. On Jan. 30, she was honored as MusiCares’ 2026 Person of the Year with a sprawling tribute medley featuring Jennifer Hudson, Foo Fighters, Taylor Momsen, Billy Porter, Maggie Rogers, Charlie Puth, FLO and more. She also covered Billboard’s first issue of 2026.

Here for It All peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, marking Carey’s 19th top 10 album and also debuting atop Album Sales. Two of the set’s singles, “Type Dangerous” and “In Your Feelings,” have hit No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, while the Kehlani and Shenseea-assisted “Sugar Sweet” peaked at No. 17 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. As of Jan. 12, “Nothing Is Possible” is the latest Here for It All single; the ballad, which Billboard ranked the album’s best track, will be worked to adult pop and adult contemporary formats.

This week, Billboard’s New Music Latin playlist — curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — features fresh new music including Carlos Vives’ “Te Dedico,” a new W Sound tune by Myke Towers, Westcol & Ovy on the Drums called “5 Estrellas” and 18, a sweet album by Conexión Divina, to name a few.

In a first collaborative effort, Cuban artists Dale Pututi and Nesty team up with Puerto Rican reggaetón pioneer Tito El Bambino for “Los Despechaos.” The tune, which effortlessly and gracefully laces música mexicana with the Cuban reparto genre, navigates heartbreak and healing from a man’s point of view. “I haven’t forgotten you, but things are going well for me/ I still miss you, but I’m managing,” goes the chorus.

Moreover, Marc Anthony and Nathy Peluso join forces on a classy salsa tune called “Como en el Idilio,” co-produced by Marc and Venezuelan hitmaker Motiff. “Nathy loves salsa; it is in her blood. She is a musical genius with an incredible ear and a clarity about what she wants that is truly inspiring. And her voice … her voice is a delight. I am mesmerized by her voice,” Marc said in a statement of the Argentine powerhouse.

Meanwhile, Grupo Máximo Grado and Thalia’s “Miro Tu Cara en la Luna” won the most recent New Music Latin poll with more than 47 percent 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 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday, Feb. 9.

Generative AI is becoming a new force in the music industry, often posing a threat to artists, music labels and trade organizations.

In light of this, SOCAN has launched a national campaign, urging the Canadian government to eliminate copyright exceptions that permit free and unauthorized use of copyright-protected works for AI training — prioritizing human-created music.

Artists and organizations have signed in support, including Sarah McLachlan, Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson, Elisapie, Dan Mangan, Mac DeMarco, Leith Ross and more. BMG Music Publishing and Nettwerk Music Group are signatories, too.

“This is a defining moment for Canada. AI companies are taking copy-protected works without consent, and the impact is being felt across the music industry,” Jennifer Brown, CEO of SOCAN, tells Billboard Canada. “Music creators cannot compete in a system that devalues human expression while AI companies profit from the unlicensed use of their work.”

“Every day, global streaming platforms are flooded with tens of thousands of AI-generated outputs by tools trained on copyright-protected works without consent, without credit and without compensation,” SOCAN’s campaign claims, noting that “generative AI is reshaping the music and cultural sectors at an unprecedented pace.”

Outside of the industry, local music fans are not receptive to AI-generated work. Last November, a SOCAN report found that 87% of Canadians said they wanted to listen to music created by humans, with 65% saying it’s “very important” to them.

“Canadians have been clear: they value human creativity and expect their government to protect it,” Brown says. “The decisions made now will determine whether music creation remains a viable profession and a vital part of our cultural identity.”

In addition to protecting the country’s creative integrity, the campaign addresses policymakers directly, “at a critical moment,” demanding that the government protect human expression, require transparency from AI companies and ensure clear labelling of AI-generated outputs.

“Canada has long championed cultural sovereignty and the value of human creative expression,” the statement reads, noting that if the government lacks a clear policy direction, the country will lose its “legacy of Canadian storytelling,” the value of human expression and the economic benefits of a strong music industry.

“This is the moment to defend human-made music and ensure it remains valued and protected in Canada,” the letter reads.

Read more here. — Heather Taylor-Singh

The Guess Who Return with Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, But Two Former Members File a New Lawsuit

The classic Randy Bachman-Burton Cummings lineup of The Guess Who has returned to the live stage after more than two decades, but their ongoing legal saga continues.

The Canadian rock stars are back on the road with the band’s legendary principal members, with their first date on an extensive North American at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls on Saturday night (Jan. 31) reportedly proceeding without a hitch.

Just a few days later, however, members of a controversial former lineup of The Guess Who filed another lawsuit. Rolling Stone has reported that on Feb. 3, Guess Who founding drummer Garry Peterson and founding bassist James Kale filed a complaint in federal court against U.S. performing rights management firm BMI.

“Peterson and Kale claim they suffered millions of dollars in losses when lead singer and songwriter Burton Cummings – who owns the publishing rights to the Guess Who’s biggest hits, including ‘American Woman,’ ‘These Eyes,’ and ‘No Time’ – went nuclear two years ago and terminated his entire performing rights agreement with BMI,” the magazine reports.

“Cummings took the extraordinary step of yanking the Guess Who’s songs from the BMI licensing catalog covering concert venues because he wanted to stop Peterson and Kale from staging what he called ‘fake bullshit shows,’ using a different singer and guitarist.”

BMI’s move in April 2024 prompted the Peterson/Kale version of the Guess Who and booking company BiCoastal Productions to immediately cancel a tour they had scheduled, losing millions in the process.

In the new lawsuit, the pair now claim that BMI misinterpreted the termination’s effective date and that a notice period that had not yet expired, meaning their concerts did not need to be cancelled.

The lawsuit accuses BMI of breach of fiduciary duty, negligent misrepresentation, intentional interference with contractual relations and fraud. It seeks compensatory damages estimated at several million dollars, to be determined at trial, as well as punitive damages based on what it describes as BMI’s “willful, oppressive, fraudulent, and malicious” conduct.

““There is no merit to this lawsuit,” a spokesperson for BMI tells Billboard Canada in a statement. “BMI responded accurately and in accordance with the information provided to us by SOCAN, the foreign society that represents the copyright holders. We stand by our response.”

This is just the latest legal twist and turn in a saga that dates back decades and fuelled serious discontent between different members of the Guess Who over who had the rights to the band’s name.

Read more here. — Kerry Doole

Justin Bieber, Karan Aujla Among Spotify’s Most-Streamed Music from Canadian Artists to End 2025

Canadian artists are connecting with fans beyond their home country.

Spotify has revealed its newest Canadian Global Impact List, which highlights homegrown acts whose songs were in heavy rotation among listeners across the globe. This list covers the second half of 2025.

Justin Bieber is at the top of the list, while the ranking also highlights songs by Tate McRae, Daniel Caesar, Punjabi stars Karan Aujla and his longtime collaborator Ikky and popular independent rapper bbno$.

Spotify’s Global Impact List for Canada

Read more on the list here. — HTS