Timothée Chalamet is hitting new heights. The actor, who stars in the sports comedy/drama Marty Supreme, took to the top of Las Vegas’ Sphere to promote the new theatrical release — and he’s the first person to ever appear atop the striking Vegas landmark.

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In a collaboration with CashApp, the two-time Oscar nominee stands on the roof of the Vegas landmark, shouting “Marty Supreme is an American film that comes out on Christmas Day 2025.” And as the camera pans out showing the Sphere glowing orange, he adds “Dream big!,” the tagline for the movie.

Chalamet has certainly chosen a unique marketing blitz for the film, complete with table tennis tournaments, Supreme collaborations, staged Zoom calls, and people who follow the star around masked with giant ping-pong balls for heads. (Marty Supreme is loosely based on the life of table tennis champion Martin Reisman.)

Speaking to Vogue about his work ethic to entice people to see his works, the 29-year-old (who turns 30 on Dec. 27) revealed that it’s important to him. “You don’t want to risk being too declarative. But I also don’t want to look back on life and things I’ve put out and go, ‘Oh, little old me. Hey, see the movie if you want. It is what it is.’ No. At worst, you’ve rubbed people the wrong way. And at best, someone will get pulled in and go, ‘Hey, this guy really thinks this thing’s worthy.’”

In a recent BBC interview, Chalamet also gave a shout-out to singer Susan Boyle – whom he believes embodies the Marty Supreme ethos. “She dreamt big. She dreamt bigger than all of us. I remember it like it was yesterday.”

Beyoncé owned the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 2 when she finally won her long-awaited album of the year trophy for Cowboy Carter. Queen Bey now boasts a whopping 35 Grammys, the most of anyone in Grammy history, but she isn’t the Destiny’s Child alumna who’s poised to make history at next year’s ceremony.

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Michelle Williams, who joined the Destiny’s Child lineup in 2000, is nominated alongside her Death Becomes Her castmates for best musical theater album at the 2026 Grammys. Should Williams triumph, Destiny’s Child will join The Beatles as the only groups in history where every member of its longest running/most commercially successful lineup won Grammys for work outside of the group. This stat excludes duos, supergroups (e.g., Cream, Boygenius), collectives (e.g., Parliament-Funkadelic, Snarky Puppy) and splinter groups (e.g., Isley-Jasper-Isley). Notably, both Destiny’s Child and The Beatles secured multiple Grammys as groups before each member began their solo journeys.

Williams is nominated for best musical theater album as one of six principal vocalists on the original Broadway cast album for Death Becomes Her. The other nominated vocalists on that album are Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber and Jennifer Simard. The other nominees in the category are Maybe Happy Ending (Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron and Helen J Shen, principal vocalists); Just in Time (Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence and Michele Pawk, principal vocalists), Gypsy (Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson and Joy Woods, principal vocalists); and Buena Vista Social Club (where no principal vocalists are nominated; only producers).

This Grammy nomination marks Williams’ first outside of Destiny’s Child, despite years of success in the gospel music field, including 2014’s seven-week Hot Gospel Songs chart-topper “Say Yes” (with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland). Rowland has earned four Grammy nominations for her solo work, including a win for best rap/sung collaboration for “Dilemma” (with Nelly) in 2003.

Although Destiny’s Child debuted in 1998 as a quartet comprised of Beyoncé, Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, the latter two were cycled out for Williams and Farrah Franklin at the turn of the century, with the group settling into its defining trio lineup a few months later. In the 25 years since, Destiny’s Child has reunited at the 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show, Beyoncé’s 2018 headlining Coachella set and the final night of Queen Bey’s Cowboy Carter Tour — always as the trio of Bey, Kelly and Michelle.

One of the most legendary musical acts in history, The Beatles boasts 10 competitive Grammys, most recently winning best rock performance for “Now and Then” in 2025. In 1968, The Fab Four won album of the year for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, a category in which each member has been individually recognized with at least a nomination.

John Lennon’s sole solo Grammy win comes from his 1981 album of the year triumph alongside Yoko Ono with Double Fantasy. Eight years prior, in 1973, George Harrison and Ringo Starr won solo trophies thanks to The Concert for Bangladesh snagging album of the year — Harrison as the lead artist on the triple-disk album, Starr as a featured artist. Harrison has won three additional Grammys separate from his Beatles work. Sir Paul McCartney has won eight Grammys outside of The Beatles, though he is, surprisingly, the only ex-Beatle not to have won album of the year apart from The Beatles. (He has received three album of the year nods for solo LPs, plus one as the leader of Wings.)

Given the varying trajectories of solo careers, few groups even approach Destiny’s Child and The Beatles in this regard. Country trio Lady A (formerly Lady Antebellum) comes close, with Hillary Scott snagging trophies for work outside the group (she won two contemporary Christian Grammys in 2017). Don Henley also won solo Grammys for “The End of Innocence” (1990; best rock vocal performance, male) and “The Boys of Summer” (1986; best male rock vocal performance), separate from his Eagles work. Finally, of the longest lasting and most commercially successful Genesis lineup (Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins), just Collins earned Grammys for his work outside of the band. He won eight times between 1985 and 2000. Peter Gabriel, who was a part of the Genesis lineup in the ’70s, almost matches Collins’ haul with seven solo Grammy victories of his own.

After dodging HUNTR/X’s “Golden” to hold onto the title of longest-running Hot 100 No. 1 single by a girl group with its own “Independent Women, Part I,” Destiny’s Child will find out if the group ties The Beatles’ impressive record in just more than one month.

Final-round Grammy voting runs through Jan. 5. The 68th annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Feb. 1 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.


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After five years, Matt Maeson returns to No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart (dated Dec. 27), emerging to the top with “Downstairs.”

The song is Maeson’s third Alternative Airplay ruler and first since “Hallucinogenics,” which reigned for three weeks in August-September 2020. His first song to make the tally, “Cringe,” led for four weeks in in 2019.

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In between “Hallucinogenics” and “Downstairs,” the singer-songwriter from Virginia reached Alternative Airplay twice, with “Blood Runs Red” (No. 22 peak, 2022) and “Cut Deep” (No. 23, 2023).

Concurrently, “Downstairs” is at its No. 5 best on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart for a second week. It’s Maeson’s second-highest-charted song on the survey in his career, following the No. 2-peaking “Hallucinogenics.”

“Downstairs” also holds at its high so far of No. 9 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 3.3 million audience impressions in the week ending Dec. 18, up 5% week-over-week, according to Luminate. The track is his first top 10 on the ranking since “Hallucinogenics,” which led for two weeks.

In addition to its rock radio airplay, “Downstairs” has also made inroads at adult pop.

“Downstairs” is the lead single from A Quiet and Harmless Living, Maeson’s third studio album, released in September. The set has earned 18,000 equivalent album units to date.

Maeson has four international tour dates lined up in early 2026: Jan. 30 in Manchester, England; Feb. 1 in Glasgow, Scotland; Feb. 2 in Dublin; and Feb. 4 in London.

All Billboard charts dated Dec. 27 will update Tuesday, Dec. 23, on Billboard.com.

Spanish pop singer Nil Moliner enjoys sharing a particular Christmas tradition from Catalonia with his nephews — one that used to amaze him when he was a child: the Tió de Nadal. The practice involves taking a piece of log and covering it with a blanket, decorating the visible end with a smiling face and leaving food for it on the nights leading up to Christmas. On Dec. 24, the magic happens: The children in the house hit it with sticks while they sing, and the log “defecates” gifts and sweets from under the blanket.

“It poops presents!” Moliner says with a laugh. “It’s a bit scatological, but we Catalans are a little like that.”

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This is just one of many cherished traditions and memories shared by some of the artists who participated on Dec. 15 in the Billboard No. 1s España concert, the first collaborative event between Grupo Starlite and Billboard, held at IFEMA Madrid.

Omar Montes, for example, shared that during Christmas, his grandmother gets the whole family to sing. “She sings a lot,” he said. “She sings songs by Isabel Pantoja, and my mom too.” The celebration continues after dinner, when “we take out a Bingo game that my grandmother bought back in the ’90s,” he shares before adding humorously, “and I always end up winning because I always cheat!”

Some artists also recalled the Christmas gifts that made them the happiest during their childhood, most of them related to music. “The first one that really impacted me was a karaoke machine, and I went crazy,” India Martínez reveals. “When I was a bit older, around 13 years old, I got my flamenco guitar, and it was like, ‘Oh my God!’” With it, she wrote her first songs.

For the great Cuban jazz musician Chucho Valdés, the gift that brought him the most joy as a child was “the book with Beethoven’s 32 sonatas,” which he received from his father, legendary pianist Bebo Valdés. Another pianist who delighted the audience at the Billboard No. 1s España inaugural show was American Arthur Hanlon, who recalled the “little piano” his father brought home for Christmas when he was 6 years old and how that day left a lasting impression on him. “My dad’s best friend was a professional pianist,” Hanlon shares. “He sat down and started playing, and I was there, as a child, in a trance.” (Editor’s Note: Hanlon is married to Billboard’s chief content officer of Latin and Español, Leila Cobo.)

Held as part of the Starlite Madrid concert series, Billboard No. 1s España, which brought together more than 5,000 attendees, featured performances by more than a dozen stars from Spain, the Americas and beyond, including Pablo Alborán, Rosana, Yami Safdie, Rozalén, Vanesa Martín and violinist Ara Malikian.

Learn more about how these artists celebrate Christmas, and watch a couple of them sing their favorite Christmas carols, in the video above.


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That’s entertainment! This Christmas Eve,  Lady Gaga is presenting Harlequin Live: One Night Only, a film capturing Gaga’s entire performance of her Harlequin album — shot in September 2024 at the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles — on her YouTube channel.

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Harlequin — which marked Gaga’s third No. 1 on Billboard‘s Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums charts — is the companion album to Joker: Folie à Deux, the 2024 sequel to the Oscar-winning Joker (2019) that stars Gaga as the titular character’s partner Harley “Lee” Quinzel. And in the week leading up to the film’s theatrical debut, Mother Monster surprise released the album of jazz standards. Harlequin — which features classics such as “Get Happy” and “That’s Life” — includes two original songs, “Folie à Deux” and “Happy Mistake.”

Back when the album first came out, Gaga clarified what Harlequin actually was. “It is my record. It’s a Lady Gaga record, but it’s also inspired by my character and my vision of what a woman can be,” she told Rolling Stone at the time. “It’s why the album does not adhere to one genre … it’s not my next studio album that’s a pop record, but it is somewhere in between, and it’s blurring the lines of pop music.” 

In addition to her six Grammy nominations for her 2025 album Mayhem, Harlequin is also up for best traditional pop vocal album at the 68th annual awards ceremony. 

Lady Gaga in Harlequin Live: One Night Only streams on YouTube Dec. 24 at 7 p.m. ET. See her announcement below:


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Vice President JD Vance praised Nicki Minaj for her surprise appearance Sunday (Dec. 21) at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, where she also called him an “assassin” before realizing her blunder.

Vance gave Minaj credit for a point she made while in conversation with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, about how uplifting one community doesn’t mean she’s belittling another.

“Nicki Minaj said something at Amfest that was really profound. I’m paraphrasing, but she said, ‘just because I want little black girls to think they’re beautiful doesn’t mean I need to put down little girls with blonde hair and blue eyes,” Vance wrote on X Monday (Dec. 22).

He continued to praise the rapper for rejecting those in the world who push narratives to pit people against one another. “We all got wrapped up over the last few years in zero sum thinking,” Vance added. “This was because the people who think they rule the world pit us against one another. @NICKIMINAJ
rejects that. We all should.”

During Minaj’s interview with Erika Kirk, the rap star showed a ton of love to President Donald Trump as well as VP Vance, championing them both as “amazing role models” before awkwardly referring to JD Vance as an “assassin.”

“Dear young men, you have amazing role models like our handsome, dashing president and you have amazing role models like the assassin JD Vance, our vice president,” she said before realizing her gaffe. (Charlie Kirk was a polarizing conservative activist before he was shot and killed Sept. 10 in what Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called a “political assassination.”)

Erika Kirk quickly came to Minaj’s defense and reassured her following the mistake. “Trust me, there’s nothing new under the sun that I have not heard. So you’re fine,” she said. “I love you.”

Kirk continued: “She’s an amazing woman. She has a soul and a heart for the Lord and words are words. But I know her heart and it doesn’t even matter. And you say what you want to say because I know your heart.”

Sunday wasn’t Nicki Minaj’s first speaking engagement in a political forum in recent months. In November, Minaj spoke out at a United Nations event to voice her concerns with the alleged persecution of Christians happening in Nigeria.

Watch Minaj’s full appearance at AmericaFest below.


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Following his wildly successful No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí summer residency at Coliseo de Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny kicked off his Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour on Nov. 21 at the Estadio Olímpico in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He brought bachata megastar Romeo Santos to the stage, where they sang “BOKeTE.” 

Two weeks later, the Puerto Rican superstar made his way to San José, Costa Rica’s Estadio Nacional, where he invited Jhayco as a guest star.

Most recently, Bad Bunny took his tour to Mexico City, where an overwhelming demand for tickets transformed his originally scheduled two shows into an impressive eight nights. From Dec. 10–21, the sold-out concerts drew more than 520,000 fans to Estadio GNP Seguros, according to figures from the promoter Ocesa.

The Puerto Rican chart-topper performed a nearly three-hour stadium set, transitioning between the main platform and the Puerto Rico-inspired “casita” before returning to wrap up the performance.

During the concert series, he brought out a handful of acts, including Tex-Mex band Grupo Frontera, Colombian powerhouses Feid and J Balvin, corridos tumbados pioneer Natanael Cano and beloved Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas.

On Jan. 23, the “Baile Inolvidable” hitmaker will head to Medellín, Colombia, to perform at Estadio Atanasio Girardot. He will then travel to Lima, Perú; Santiago de Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina; São Paulo, Brazil; followed by performances overseas in Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, Japan, and multiple countries across Europe. The tour will conclude on July 22 at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium.

Below, check out the musicians who have taken the stage with Bad Bunny, so far.

Christina Aguilera lit up the Eiffel Tower while filming her holiday special, and now, she’s ready to light up your TV screens this Christmas.

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The vocalist holiday special titled Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris will be on tonight, Dec. 22 following a theatrical premiere earlier in the month. The hour-long program filmed in Paris is premiering at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and Paramount+. It celebrates the 25th anniversary of Aguilera’s My Kind of Christmas album, which reached No. 28 on the Billboard 200 in 2000.

A description reads that the special features “magical live performances from the City of Love” — filmed with a live orchestra above the Musée du Quai Branly with Paris’ most famous tower sparkling behind the singer — as well as a “look into Aguilera’s remarkable career.” There will also be “exquisite costume changes” and cameos from special guests Sheila E. and Yseult, with Xtina set to share her “thoughts on love, motherhood, reinvention and her career’s artistry.” The news comes just a couple of days after Christmas in Paris premiered in theaters on Dec. 14. There will also be screenings on Dec. 21, before the film arrives on CBS and Paramount+.

In addition to the special, Aguilera recently dropped a corresponding live album featuring recordings of her performances in Paris. The set includes her takes on classics such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “The Christmas Song,” as well as renditions of her own hits “Genie in a Bottle” and “Lady Marmalade.”

If you’re a major Xtina fan looking to tune in, ShopBillboard has you covered. We’ll be showing you where you can watch hour-long program no hassle so you can get into the Christmas spirit the Aguilera way.

How to Watch Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris Holiday Special

As previously mentioned, the special will air tonight 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. This gives you a couple of streaming options, including DIRECTV.

You can watch Christina Aguilera’s Christmas in Paris special on TV through CBS or livestream it online free with any DIRECTV package online. DIRECTV live streaming service includes a CBS feed, so you can watch Aguilera’s concert online without cable.If you’re unsure about committing to a new subscription, you can simply try the service out for free for five days, which will give you plenty of time to watch the live show.

With your subscription, users will gain access to live TV, local networks such as NBC, ABC and PBS, and you can also watch a slew of entertainment networks, including AMC, Bravo, E!, FX, FXX, Freeform, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, Lifetime and Paramount Network. That’s more than 90-plus channels that you can tap into with the touch of a button.

Another option is a Hulu + Live TV subscription, given that CBS is included in the live TV channel lineup. The service’s live package includes local CBS channels in most areas, along with other major networks like ABC, NBC, and Fox for all your live TV viewing needs. A subscription to the service (with ads) will cost approximately $82.99 per month, while the plan without ads goes for $95.99 per month.

This subscription gives you access to the titles in Hulu’s library, along with live TV programs 24/7. This is one of the more pricey plans on our list. However, the bundle is well worth the price because of the added Hulu titles, which include music-themed shows and movies like American IdolThe VoiceThe Masked Singer, The Beatles: 8 Days a WeekAmy Winehouse: A Final GoodbyeBillieMadonna and the Breakfast ClubBad Rap, 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez and more.

You can also watch the holiday event via Paramount+’s Premium plan, a no ads plan which will run you $12.99 a month. The streaming service offers a seven-day free trial, which should give you plenty of time to watch the holiday spectacular. If you do happen to keep your subscription, which we highly-recommend, you’ll have access to a vast library of over 40,000+ ad-free episodes and movies, including music-themed hits like Love & Hip Hop: Miami, School of Rock, Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza and much more. Paramount+ Premium plan holders will also be able to stream the service on three devices at once, gain access to SHOWTIME® Originals, download movies and shows and Stream CBS live, with more sports and events.

“It was magical to revisit songs from My Kind of Christmas, and to perform other holiday favorites live for the first time,” Aguilera wrote of the endeavor on Instagram. “I loved channeling beloved films like ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ against the dreamy backdrop of such a beautiful city. I can’t wait for you to see this in theaters, and to listen as you celebrate this holiday season. Let the Christmas magic begin.”

See a photo of Aguilera on the set of her Christmas in Paris special — which also serves as the cover of her new live album — below.

"Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris", airing Dec. 22, 2025 CBS Television Network and Paramount+.

“Christina Aguilera: Christmas in Paris”, airing Dec. 22, 2025 CBS Television Network and Paramount+.

Courtesy of CBS


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Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” adds a record-extending 20th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, rebounding a spot to the summit. The 1994 modern classic widens its lead over HUNTR/X’s “Golden” and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile,” each in second place with 18 weeks on top, for the longest command since the chart began in September 2020.

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On the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, Wham!’s “Last Christmas,” from 1984, lifts two spots to reign for the first time. It’s the second holiday hit to top the tally, after “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (14 weeks, over the 2020-24 holiday seasons). A week ago, “Last Christmas” led the Global 200 for the first time.

Elsewhere, carols by Dean Martin and Sia return to the top 10 of the respective charts, and El Bogueto and Yung Beef’s “Cuando No Era Cantante” blasts 23-5 on Global Excl. U.S.

The Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” tops the Global 200 with 101.6 million streams (up 8% week-over-week) and 7,000 sold (up 2%) worldwide in the week ending Dec. 18.

“Last Christmas” dips to No. 2 on the Global 200; Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” climbs 5-3, after the 1958 recording hit a No. 2 best in 2022; Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” holds at No. 4, after three weeks at No. 1 beginning in October; and Bobby Helms’ “Jingle Bell Rock” trots 6-5, after the 1957 single reached No. 4 over the 2020 holidays.

Plus, Dean Martin’s “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” storms 11-9 on the Global 200, with the 1959 release having hit No. 6 over the 2023 holiday season.

“Last Christmas” becomes Wham!’s first Global Excl. U.S. No. 1, with 64.7 million streams (up 5%) and 3,000 sold (up 22%) beyond the U.S.

“The Fate of Ophelia” is steady at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S., after three weeks at No. 1 starting in October; “All I Want for Christmas Is You” dashes 4-3; and “Golden” falls to No. 4 from the top spot after a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1.

El Bogueto and Yung Beef’s “Cuando No Era Cantante” surges 23-5 on Global Excl. U.S., becoming the first top 10 on the chart for the respective Mexican and Spanish artists, up 77% to 47.7 million streams outside the U.S. Among its reigns on Billboard’s Hits of the World charts, the collab rules Mexico Songs for an eighth week.

Also decorating the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Sia’s “Snowman” heats up (safely) 11-9; it reached No. 4 in 2023.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Dec. 27) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Dec. 23. For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.


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Nobody does it quite like the Caribbean, and 2025 only offered more proof.

King of Dancehall Vybz Kartel rang in the year with his blockbuster Freedom Street comeback concert and his very first Billboard cover, marking the return of one of the Caribbean’s biggest stars. Although the “Fever” singer did not take home his first Grammy for Party With Me, he did spend 2025 playing his first U.S. shows in 20 years, winning the MOBO impact award, and launching his globe-trotting Worl’ Boss Tour.

As Kartel acquainted himself with the contemporary music scene, two young stars helped propel West Indian rhythms to crossover status. Trinidad’s Yung Bredda teamed up with sibling production duo Full Blown for “The Greatest Bend Over,” an irresistible, zess-infused soca track that steadily grew from local Carnival anthem to global hit. By August, Grammy-nominated R&B singer Chlöe and Ghanaian Afropop star Moliy hopped on a remix for the feel-good song.

Moliy, alongside Jamaican dancehall stars Shenseea and Skillibeng, launched a hit of her own with “Shake It to the Max.” Produced by Silent Addy and Disco Neil, the inescapable song spent over 25 weeks atop U.S. Afrobeats Songs, making it the No. 1 song on the year-end version of that ranking. Though the song was shockingly ruled ineligible for Grammy consideration, as exclusively confirmed by Billboard, “Shake It” defined the summer and garnered remixes from the likes of Sean Paul and Diplo.

Outside of the crossover hits, several other songs helped define the year in Caribbean music, including Masicka’s “Whites,” Ayetian’s “Tip” and “Wah Yo Deh Pan” (with Govana & Nvtzz), Cjthechemist’s “NY Girls” (with Chronic Law), Dezral’s “The Car,” Machel Montano’s “Pardy,” Muddy’s “Payroll,” Armanii’s “8:00 PM” (with Malie Donn), Valiant’s “Passenger Princess” (with Rvssian), Klassik Frescobar’s “Dansa,” Kes’s “Cocoa Tea” and Protoje’s “Big 45.”

This year also saw the third annual Caribbean Music Awards take over Brooklyn’s Kings Theater. Shenseea nearly swept the ceremony with five wins, including dancehall album of the year for Never Gets Late Here, and Masicka, who took home three awards with the dancehall-pop princess thanks to their smash “Hit & Run” single, won a fourth trophy for reggae song of the year. Billboard’s Kyle Denis and Love Island USA’s Chelley Bissainthe co-hosted a red carpet livestream, which spawned a viral moment featuring dancehall legend Elephant Man.

Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, arrived in October — but, by December, the Caribbean music industry banded together to mount two New York-set benefit concerts to fundraise for various relief efforts.

Finally, the Caribbean community also gained a few new ancestors this year, with Jamaican music giants Jimmy Cliff, Cocoa Tea, Max Romeo, Owen Gray, Joe Lick Shot, Leroy Gibbons, Determine, Junior Byles, and Pluto Shervington all passing over.

Before Kartel, Lila Iké, Keznamdi, Jesse Royal and Mortimer face off for the 2026 best reggae album Grammy, check out Billboard’s ranking of the 10 Best Caribbean Albums of 2025.


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